Comparison of Acclaim C30 vs C18 for Carotenoid Profiles

Significance of the Topic

Carotenoids are essential pigments in plants and foods with nutritional and health benefits. Accurate profiling of these compounds is critical for food quality control, nutritional studies and research into bioactive plant metabolites. Comparing stationary phases enhances analytical selectivity and resolution of structurally similar carotenoids.

Objectives and Overview of the Study

This study evaluates two reversed-phase columns—Thermo Scientific™ Acclaim™ C30 and Acclaim 120 C18—to determine their performance in separating major carotenoids from white yam extract. Key goals include assessing shape selectivity, peak resolution and retention behavior of lutein, α-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene and lycopene.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Samples of white yam (6.0 g/mL) were prepared according to established procedures.

• Liquid chromatography system: Thermo Scientific™ Dionex™ UltiMate™ 3000 RSLC.
• Columns compared: Acclaim C30, 3 µm, 3.0 × 150 mm; Acclaim 120 C18, 3 µm, 3.0 × 150 mm.
• Mobile phases: A) Acetonitrile; B) Methanol:ethyl acetate (1:1 v/v); C) 10 mM formic acid in water.
• Gradient program: Initial conditioning at 95% A, 4.5% B, 0.5% C; gradient to 54.5% A and 45% B over 21 min; hold to 25 min.
• Flow rate: 0.64 mL/min; column temperature: 30 °C; injection volume: 8 µL.
• Detection: Diode array detector (260–800 nm), chromatograms monitored at 450 nm.

Main Results and Discussion

Both columns achieved baseline separation of the four carotenoids. The C30 phase, with longer alkyl chains, offered slightly improved shape selectivity for long-chain analytes, but the similar molecular shapes and polarities of the tested carotenoids resulted in minimal selectivity differences between C18 and C30 phases. Retention times and peak shapes were comparable on both columns, indicating that either phase can be used effectively for routine carotenoid profiling in white yam.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Reliable quantification of key carotenoids for food quality and nutritional analysis.
• Choice of column based on availability or existing method alignment without significant loss of performance.
• Improved method flexibility for laboratories conducting routine or research-level carotenoid analyses.

Future Trends and Potential Uses

Advances in stationary phase chemistry may further enhance resolution of structurally related compounds. Integration with mass spectrometry could improve sensitivity and compound identification. High-throughput screening of diverse plant matrices will support breeding programs for biofortification and nutritional improvement.

Conclusion

Both Acclaim C30 and Acclaim C18 columns provide robust and reproducible separation of lutein, α-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene and lycopene from white yam extract. The slight advantage in shape selectivity of the C30 phase does not markedly impact practical performance for these analytes, allowing flexible method selection in analytical laboratories.

Reference

1. Hirschberg J., Cohen M., Harker M., Lotan T., Mann V., Pecker I. Pure & Appl. Chem. 1997;69(10):2151–2158.
2. Rodriguez-Amaya D.B., Kimura M. HarvestPlus Handbook for Carotenoid Analysis. International Food Policy Research Institute, 2004.