Development and Validation of a RP-HPLC/UV Method for Analysis of Vitamin A, C and E in Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics, and Beverages

Abstract

Vitamins A, E, and C are used in many pharmaceuticals, cosmetic products, and beverages to compensate for their daily intake and better skin health. In the presented study, an isocratic reversed-phase HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of these three vitamins. Different experimental conditions were optimized and the developed method was validated as per ICH guidelines. Furthermore, the developed method was applied for the analysis of vitamins A, C, and E in samples of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and beverages. The mobile phase acetonitrile and water containing 1% phosphoric acid (65:35, v/v) were pumped at 1 ml/minute and the analytes were analyzed at 280 nm. These vitamins were extracted from a USP syrup base (containing 10% ethanol), emulsion (w/o), and tablet matrix. The linearity of the analytes in different matrices was excellent with a correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.99. The % recovery was above 90 % from all the matrices except for vitamin E from the syrup matrix. The precision was well within range by calculating the % RSD. The vitamins were stable when stored at -4 ˚C in amber-colored tubes. Due to the variable concentration of the analytes in commercial products, dilution integrity was performed and the results were according to the ICH guidelines. The method was successfully applied for the quantification of vitamins A, E, and C in pharmaceutical products (Syrups and tablets), cosmetics both medicated and non-medicated, and food products including energy drinks and ketchup.