LC-MS/MS Technology Leads to a Better Understanding of Vitamins in Functional Foods and Dietary Supplements

Vitamins are classified as non-caloric organic compounds.  These organic compounds help the human body perform many body processes in metabolic reactions.  Vitamins are classified as being either water-soluble or fat-soluble. Vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins (B1, B2, B3, etc.) fall under the water-soluble vitamins.  Vitamin’s A, D, E, and K are classified as the fat-soluble vitamins.  Vitamins can be toxic if taking in excess, and if vitamins are not incorporated into the diet can cause deficiencies.  Therefore, it is important for consumers and manufactures to know the amounts of vitamins in foods and dietary supplements. 

It is an extreme challenge for scientists to accurately measure amounts of vitamins in functional foods and herbal extracts using traditional HPLC methods. This is due to significant interferences from matrices and time-consuming sample processing. 

Scientists at Brunswick Laboratories, in Norton, MA have developed highly sensitive,accurate, and rapid methods for the detection of many vitamins in functional foods, herbal raw materials and finished products utilizing the API 4000 QTRAP LC/MS/MS system.  Dr. Xianguo Zhao, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Brunswick Laboratories says, "By utilizing state-of-the-art instrumentation, Brunswick labs can provide our customers more accurate data in an expeditious manner for today’s herbal and dietary supplement industries.  This new methodology is especially important for new functional foods and herbal products with complicated matrices." Currently, Brunswick Laboratories can analyze the following vitamins: 

·    Vitamin A                                 ·   Vitamin B12                 

·    Vitamin B1                               ·   Vitamin C

·    Vitamin B2                               ·   Vitamin D3       

·    Vitamin B3                               ·   Vitamin E

·   Vitamin B6                               ·  Biotin (Vitamin H)

·    Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)         ·   Vitamin K1

About Brunswick Laboratories

Founded in 1997, Brunswick Laboratories is an independent contract laboratory providing analytical services in the chemical sciences. We are dedicated to "Improving Health Through Science".  Equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation, our highly-skilled scientists provide superior services and technical support to the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries.