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

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Abstract

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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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2020 [Grant Numbers 18162MFDS009) and by a 2019 Chung-Ang University Graduate Research Scholarship. We thank the BT research facility center, Chung-Ang University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, 17546, South Korea

    Woojin Jang, Chan Lee & Jihyun Lee

  2. Department of Food Science, Sun Moon University, Asan, 31460, South Korea

    Hee-Jae Suh

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  1. Woojin Jang
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Jang, W., Lee, C., Suh, HJ. et al. β-Carotene and β-apo-8′-carotenal contents in processed foods in Korea. Food Sci Biotechnol 32, 1501–1513 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-023-01285-2

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