Rapid determination of L‐ascorbic acid content in vitamin C serums by ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry
Jéssica S. Pizzo, Victor Hugo Maldonado da Cruz, Carina Alexandra Rodrigues, Luciana Pelissari Manin, Lorena Visentainer, Oscar Oliveira Santos, Liane Maldaner, Jesuí Vergílio Visentainer
Abstract
Abstract Objective This study aimed to develop and validate a rapid, simple, accurate and precise analytical method for the quantification of L‐AA in vitamin C serums. Moreover, the developed method was further applied to determine L‐AA in eight different brands of vitamin C serums. A complementary study was also carried out to evaluate the stability of L‐AA in the vitamin C serum samples after 15, 30, 45 and 60 days of storage at ambient temperature (15–35°C). Methods Ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was applied. Results Quantitative analyses were performed with a total chromatographic run time of 1.5 min by matrix‐matched calibration, and the analytical curve was linear over the range of 1–1700 µg L −1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9998. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.3 and 1.0 µg L −1 , respectively. Intra‐ and inter‐assay precisions, expressed in terms of relative standard deviation, ranged from 0.3% and 2.2%, respectively, and recoveries in concentration levels of 1 and 5 µg L −1 were 103.9% and 101.2%, respectively. The proposed analytical method was successfully applied to determine the L‐AA content in eight commercial vitamin C serum samples. The stability of the target analyte in samples stored at ambient temperature (15–35°C) was evaluated throughout 60 days with a 15‐day interval between analyses. At 0 days, L‐AA content in samples ranged from 1.05 to 169.91 mg L −1 , which decreases over time. Conclusion The proposed method could be powerful in routine analyses to ensure the quantification of L‐AA in vitamin C serums since it proved to be a simple, reliable, fast, precise, accurate and sensitive analytical method.