Determination of Vitamin E in Aquatic Organisms by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection

• Published in: Analytical biochemistry 1996-11, Vol.242 (1), p.123-128
• Main Authors: Huo, Ji-Zeng, Nelis, Hans J., Lavens, Patrick, Sorgeloos, Patrick, Leenheer, André P.De
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Artemia - chemistry; Butylated Hydroxytoluene; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid - methods; Flatfishes; Fluorescence; Larva - chemistry; Methanol; Rotifera - chemistry; Vitamin E - analysis
• ISSN: 0003-2697; 1096-0309
• DOI: 10.1006/abio.1996.0437

A liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed for the quantitative determination of different forms of vitamin E (α-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol) in aquatic organisms. The assay consists of a simple extraction with methanol containing butylhydroxytoluene (BHT) as an antioxidant, followed by reversed-phase chromatography with fluorescence detection. The efficiency of the extraction method was equivalent or superior to that of more complex approaches for the isolation of tocopherols. Linearity has been achieved over the range of 0.02 to 3 μg/ml for α-tocopherol and within-run and between-run coefficients of variation at three levels were 0.7–2.9 and 1.2–3.7%, respectively. The recovery at three concentrations ranged from 73.8 to 96.6% and the minimal quantity that could be detected was 0.6 ng. Comparable figures were obtained for γ- and δ-tocopherol. This method has been routinely applied to determine vitamin E inArtemia,rotifers, turbot and sea bass larvae, and shrimp postlarvae.