β-Carotene and β-apo-8′-carotenal contents in processed foods in Korea

초록

A robust and rapid HPLC method for β-carotene and β-apo-8′-carotenal analyses in various processed foods was developed. The analysis method was validated for low-fat, moderate-fat, and high-fat food matrices. The two carotenoids were identified by LC–MS/MS. The detection limits for β-carotene and β-apo-8′-carotenal in the three food matrices were 0.08–0.27 µg/g and 0.09–0.18 µg/g, respectively. The inter- and intra-day accuracy and precision were in accordance with the Codex guidelines. The validated method was applied to 57 processed food samples, possibly containing β-carotene and β-apo-8′-carotenal, obtained in Korea. The detected β-carotene and β-apo-8′-carotenal levels in the samples ranged from not detected (ND) to 6.92 µg/g and ND to 1.63 µg/g, respectively. Chocolate and cheese samples had the highest β-carotene and β-apo-8′-carotenal levels, respectively. Notably, several samples with no labeled carotenoid additives contained β-carotene. Moreover, the developed analytical method was compatible with various processed food matrices.

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