Quantitative Determination of Coenyzme Q10 by Liquid Chromatography and Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry in Dairy Products

Abstract

The dietary sources of CoQ10 and the evaluation of CoQ10 in dairy products were characterized. For quantitation of CoQ10 in food samples, 2 liquid chromatography (LC) methods with UV and mass spectrometry (MS) detections were developed. LC with UV detection was performed at 25°C on a Hyperclone ODS 5 μm 150 × 4.6 mm column with mobile phase consisting of methanol-ethanol-2-propanol (70 + 15 + 15, v/v/v). Flow rate was 1.0 mL/min. Retention time of CoQ10 was 10.9 ± 0.1 min. The method was sensitive [limit of detection (LOD) = 0.2 mg/kg], reproducible [relative standard deviation (RSD) = 3.0%), and linear up to 25 mg/kg (R > 0.999). LC/MS analysis was performed on a LUNA C18 3 μm, 150 × 4.6 mm column, using mobile phase consisting of ethanol-dioxane-acetic acid (9 + 1 + 0.01, v/v/v), flow rate was 0.6 mL/min, and the retention time of CoQ10 was 4.1 ± 0.1 min. Identification and quantitation were performed with a Finnigan-LCQ mass detector in positive atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mode. Mass spectra were obtained in selected-ion monitoring mode; molecular mass (M+H)+m/z 863.4 ± 1 was used for quantitative determination. MS detection is more sensitive than UV detection (LOD = 0.1 mg/kg), less reproducible (RSD = 4.0%), and linear in selected range. Analytical recoveries are 75–90% and depend on the ratio between the amount of fat in the matrix and the concentration of CoQ10 in the sample. Some soybean milk products were analyzed together with different cow, goat, and sheep milk products. Concentrations obtained with LC and LC/MS were compared with a few accessible results available from the literature. Concentrations varied from 0 ppm in soybean milk to nearly 2 ppm in fresh milk from local farms.

Urinary Excretion Study of Coenzyme Q10 in Rats by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

“…Even though the HPLC technique combined with UV, MS, or photodiode array detector has been widely used for the analysis, the retention time of CoQ 10 in biological samples was between 5 and 25 min with those published conventional HPLC methods (5)(6)(7)12,(15)(16)(17)(18). With the new UPLC method, the retention time of CoQ 10 was shortened to 1.75 min, which may result in higher sample throughput.…”

“…Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) is known to be a powerful separation and detection technique in a large number of analytical fields. There have been publications with regard to the quantitation of CoQ 10 in biological fluids or dairy products by LC-MS or LC-MS-MS (15). The retention time of CoQ 10 was 5 min with this high-performance LC (HPLC)-MS-MS method, which is not short enough for sample high throughput.…”

The Use of the Coenzyme Q10 as a Food Supplement in the Management of Fibromyalgia: A Critical Review

“…As for fat content, foods with a higher quantity of lipids generally have higher quantities of CoQ 10 . Indeed, fresh whole milk contains 1.2 mg/kg of CoQ 10 , while the amount of CoQ 10 in UHT milk (having a reduced fat content) is more than halved (0.5 mg/kg) [ 70 ]. Similarly, levels of CoQ 10 are reduced in fermented products such as yogurt, sour milk, and kefir, containing about two-thirds of the CoQ 10 detectable in milk with the same fat content, while the content is even lower in reduced-fat products.…”

Trends in Vital Food and Control Engineering

“…Our first selection for the practical use of this product was a group of dairy products (Stražišar et al, 2005). Their blend of fat and water was the ideal base for application of a functional food additive with an increased amount of CoQ 10 .…”