Queued and Ready to Run? Testing the Stability of Vitamin Extracts While in Queue Using Triple Quadrupole LC/MS/MS Analysis

Many Americans include vitamin supplements in their diets, making reliable measurement of these complex mixtures essential for quality assessment and accurate labeling. Though many AOAC Official Methods for vitamins employ microbiological assays or LC with UV or fluorescence detection, use of LC/MS/MS techniques in this field is rising. While LCMS techniques offer advantages including specificity, speed, ability to detect impurities, and broad applicability, they are not impervious to chemical challenges posed by these molecules. Sensitivity to light, heat, oxidation, and other formulation components can cause vitamins to degrade over time, potentially leading to inaccurate analyses. This study of 8 water soluble vitamins seeks to determine the stability of a vitamin extract over a 12 hour period.