Determination of canthaxanthin and xanthophyll in eggs by SPE-high performance liquid chromatography

Objective An analytical method was established for the two carotenoid colorants, which had not been included in the monitoring. The interferences such as fat and protein were effectively excluded through the optimization of pretreatment and detection conditions. The method on simultaneous determination of canthaxanthin and xanthophyll in eggs was successfully developed. Methods The samples were extracted by a simple ultrasonic extraction procedure with n-hexane and cleaned up on a neutral alumina cartridge. The analytes was separated by C30 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) with acetonitrile: methyl tertiary butylether (8:2, V/V, containing 0.1% butylated hydroxytoluene) and water solution as mobile phases in gradient model. Then the carotenoids were detected with DAD detector. Results Under optimizing chromatographic conditions, the linear of the method were 0.20-10.0 mg/L with r≥0.999 3. The recoveries of the method were 89.3%-102% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.2%-4.9%. The limits of detection were 0.02-0.08 mg/kg. Conclusion The method was convenient, accurate and sensitive, and it was suitable for the determination of canthaxanthin and xanthophyll in egg samples.