Analysis of Fat Soluble Vitamins Using a Core Enhanced Technology Accucore HPLC Column

Importance of the Topic

The accurate and rapid analysis of fat soluble vitamins is vital in food quality control, nutritional research, and regulatory compliance. These vitamins, present at trace levels and often accompanied by interfering compounds, require sensitive, selective, and efficient analytical methods to ensure both identification and quantification.

Objectives and Study Overview

This study evaluates the performance of a core–shell fused core Accucore RP-MS HPLC column for separating five fat soluble vitamins (A, K, D3, E, and E acetate) in a single rapid run. The goal is to demonstrate improved throughput, reproducibility, and peak quality compared with conventional fully porous columns.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Column: Accucore RP-MS, 2.6 µm core-shell particles, 100 × 2.1 mm.
• Mobile Phase: 75:25 v/v acetonitrile:methanol at 0.4 mL/min.
• Temperature: Column oven set to 30 °C.
• Injection Volume: 2 µL of 10 µg/mL mixed vitamin standard.
• Detection: UV at 280 nm.

Key Results and Discussion

The five vitamins were baseline separated within three minutes. Retention time RSD values ranged from 0.60 % to 0.63 %, while peak asymmetry factors fell between 1.14 and 1.34 with RSD below 1.7 %. The core–shell design delivered low backpressure (~152 bar), high efficiency, and sharp peaks, supporting robust reproducibility over six injections.

Benefits and Practical Applications

This method offers significant advantages for routine laboratory use: rapid analysis reduces cycle time, low operating pressure extends column lifetime, and high peak capacity ensures clear identification in complex food matrices. It is well suited for QA/QC testing in food and supplement industries.

Future Trends and Applications

Emerging directions include coupling core–shell HPLC with mass spectrometry for enhanced sensitivity and specificity, expanding the method to multivitamin formulations and fortified foods, and integrating automated sample preparation for high-throughput screening. Continued development of superficially porous phases may push analysis times below one minute.

Conclusion

The Accucore RP-MS column demonstrates fast, efficient, and reproducible separation of fat soluble vitamins, making it an excellent tool for rapid quality control and research applications in analytical laboratories.

Reference

• Meadows K. Application Note 20585, Thermo Fisher Scientific, 2012.