A NA LYSIS O F FAT-SO LU B L E V I TAM INS US ING U P L C- P DA-S Q D

Antonietta Gledhill Waters Corporation, Manchester, UK

SummaryA 5-minute reversed phase analysis of fat-soluble vitamins is described

for the simultaneous detection of vitamins A, D, E and K using the

Waters® ACQUITY UPLC® System with the PDA and SQ Detector.

The ACQUITY UPLC System is an advanced separation system that

utilizes a 1.7 μm stationary phase particle size to improve resolution

and peak shape in a shorter runtime.

The SQ Detector is compatible with both Waters Empower™ and

MassLynx™ Software. The MS setup parameters are made easy

with the functionality of IntelliStart™ Technology, which has been

incorporated into both software packages.

INT rODuCT IONVitamins are essential nutrients that perform various roles to main-

tain good health. Eating a normal, well-balanced diet should provide

sufficient levels of vitamins; however, modern-day life-styles can

lead to deficiencies. As a result, the practice of enriching foods

with vitamins in order to provide the recommended daily allowance

(RDA) has become commonplace.

Vitamin A (retinol) plays an important role in bone growth, tooth

development, reproduction, cell division, and gene expression.

Sources of vitamin A are dairy products, carrots, pumpkin, dark

green leafy vegetables, and apricots.

Vitamin D helps increase the amounts of calcium absorbed from

the small intestine and helps form and maintain bones. Children

need adequate amounts of vitamin D to help develop strong bones

and healthy teeth. Common sources of vitamin D include a variety

enriched dairy products, most notably milk. Vitamin D can also be

obtained through sunlight exposure of the skin.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble anti-oxidant, and protects vitamins A

and C, red blood cells and essential fatty acids from destruction.

Sources of vitamin E are margarines and vegetable oils.

Vitamin K plays an essential role in normal blood clotting and helps

promote bone health. Sources of vitamin K are green vegetables

(spinach, broccoli), cauliflower, cabbage, and certain vegetable oils

(soybean oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil, and olive oil).

EX PErImENTaL

uPLC® conditionsLC system: ACQUITY UPLC

Solvent A: Water:acetonitrile (90:10)

Solvent B: Acetonitrile:methanol (50:50)

Flow rate: 0.7 mL/min

Column temp: 35 °C

Column: ACQUITY® BEH C18

2.1 mm x 100 mm, 1.7 μm

ACQUITY UPLC with PDA and SQ Detector

ACQUITY UPLC with PDA and SQ Detector.

G raphic boxUs e F utura B ook 9 pt when labeling graphics

B ox graphic with ¾ pt 50% black line

G raphic boxUs e F utura B ook 9 pt when labeling graphics

B ox graphic with ¾ pt 50% black line

Time0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20 1.40 1.60 1.80 2.00 2.20 2.40 2.60 2.80 3.00 3.20 3.40 3.60 3.80 4.00

%

0

Time (min) %age A %age B Curve

Initial 10 90 Initial

0.10 10 90 9

2.00 0 100 6

3.00 0 100 6

3.50 10 90 6

5.00 10 90 6

Table 1. UPLC solvent method.

aCQuITy uPLC PDaWavelength range: 205 to 450 nm

Resolution: 1.2 nm

Sampling rate: 20 spectra/s

WaTErS 996 PDaWavelength range 205-450 nm

Resolution 1.2 nm

Sampling rate 20 spectra/s

SQ Detector settingsThe single quadrupole MS was run in APCI mode.

Corona current: 15.0 uA

Cone voltage: 35.0 V

Source temp: 145 °C

Probe temp: 575 °C

Cone gas: 200 L/Hr

Desolvation gas: 600 L/Hr

(See Table 2 for the m/z values used for the SIR method)

Data acquisition and processingThe total system was controlled with MassLynx Software (creation

of methods and data-processing). The SQ Detector parameters were

set up via the IntelliStart Software and using the on-line fluidics.

IntelliStart monitors the performance of the mass spectrometer

and will initiate corrective action if any problems are diagnosed.

Processes such as tuning and calibration can be performed by the

click of a button using the on-line fluidics.

rESuLTS aND DISCuSSIONPublished methods for the detection of fat-soluble vitamins can

require 15 to 60 minutes. A standard solution of vitamins is shown

in Figure 1 with an analysis time of 5 minutes by UPLC. Table 2

shows the values used for the each vitamins analyzed.

RT Vitamin UVmax SIR - RT SIR -m/z windows

0.98 Vitamin A1 325 0.00-1.40 269

2.25 Vitamin K2

265 1.20-2.70 445

245

2.37 Vitamin D2 265 2 2.10-2.60 397

2.43 Vitamin D3 265 2 2.20-2.80 385

2.77 Vitamin E 291 2.60-3.10 431

3.02 Vitamin E acetate 285 2.80-3.40 473

3.24 Vitamin K1

265 3.10-3.60 451

240

Table 2. Retention times, UV maxima and m/z values (used for SIR) for the fat-soluble vitamins.

Vitamin A is the first to elute and Vitamin K is the last to elute on

the ACQUITY BEH C18 Column.

Figure 1. Standard mixture of fat-soluble vitamins.

Figure 3. PDA chromatogram of butter using the extended method where the presence of vitamin E (maxima 291) and vitamin E acetate (maxima 285) have been confirmed by their UV spectra (shown at the right hand side of the figure).

Figure 2 shows the presence of vitamin E (m/z 431) and

vitamin E acetate (m/z 473) from the standard mixture (left) and

from a butter sample (right) that has undergone liquid-liquid

extraction.1 Selected ion recording (SIR) was used to increase the

selectivity of the vitamins in the butter.

Figure 3 shows the resulting data from PDA detection. While the

chromatogram can be simplified for this particular butter sample by

selecting the specific maximas for each vitamin, the complexity of

certain systems can cause interferences that prevent comprehensive

analysis via a single detector. By employing complementary

techniques such as those described in this note it may be possible

to discern additional components and obtain required data.

Vitamin E acetateVitamin E acetate

Butter-Flora

Time

2.00 2.20 2.40 2.60 2.80 3.00 3.20 3.40

%

0

2.00 2.20 2.40 2.60 2.80 3.00 3.20 3.40

%

0

6: SIR of 1 Channel AP+

473

5.96e7

5: SIR of 1 Channel AP+

431

2.41e7

Vitamin EVitamin E

Vit mix C18 column

Time

2.20 2.40 2.60 2.80 3.00 3.20 3.40

%

1

2.20 2.40 2.60 2.80 3.00 3.20 3.40

%

0

6: SIR of 1 Channel AP+

473

2.62e7

5: SIR of 1 Channel AP+

431

3.76e6

Figure 2. Vitamin E and Vitamin E acetate in standard solution (left), and in butter (right).

Butter-Flora Light extraction:hex

Time

2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 16.00 18.00 20.00 22.00 24.00 26.00 28.00 30.00 32.00

AU

-5.0e-1

0.0

5.0e-1

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

7.5

8.0

8.519.74

14.72

0.81

13.58

6.435.25

16.08

18.13

23.08

28.22

nm240 245 250 255 260 265 270 275 280 285 290 295

AU

0.0

2.0e-4

4.0e-4

6.0e-4

8.0e-4

1.0e-3

1.2e-3

1.4e-3

1.6e-3

1.8e-3

2.0e-3

2.2e-3

2.4e-3

2.6e-3

2.8e-3

3.0e-3

3.2e-3

3.4e-3

285

nm235 240 245 250 255 260 265 270 275 280 285 290 295 300 305 310 315

AU

0.0

2.0e-4

4.0e-4

6.0e-4

8.0e-4

1.0e-3

1.2e-3

1.4e-3

1.6e-3

1.8e-3

2.0e-3

2.2e-3

291

Waters Corporation 34 Maple Street Milford, MA 01757 U.S.A. T: 1 508 478 2000 F: 1 508 872 1990 www.waters.com

Waters, ACQUITY, ACQUITY UPLC, and UPLC are registered trademarks of Waters Corporation. Empower, MassLynx, and IntelliStart, and The Science of What’s Possible are trademarks of Waters Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

©2009 Waters Corporation. Produced in the U.S.A.July 2009 720002021en AG-PDF

CONCLuSIONS

A 5-minute method utilizing UPLC has been developed to detect

fat-soluble vitamins. Current published methods typically require at

least 15 minutes to perform the same analysis. While identification

of these vitamins is possible using a PDA, samples are often com-

plex, requiring additional techniques to detect all components of

interest. The PDA and SQ Detectors are complementary techniques

that allow not only for the identification of vitamins but also for

components that may not be amenable to PDA detection alone.

references

1. D Blanco, M P Fernández,M D Gutiérrez. Analyst, 2000: 125, 427–431.

2. F Zonta, B Stancher, J Bielawny. Chrom,1982: 246, 105-112.