Beta-carotene (provitamin A) is a strongly colored red pigment occurring in plants.  It is enzymatically converted to retinol (vitamin A) in the small intestine.  Although not considered a significant source of beta-carotene, soybean seed (Glycine max) contains measurable levels of this carotenoid.  Therefore, regulatory bodies require quantitative analysis of beta-carotene as a comparator in substantial equivalency studies with genetically modified (GM) soybean. An HPLC assay was developed and validated for routine analysis of GM soybean samples.  Ground seed was extracted with a hexane:acetone (60:40 v/v) solution.  A C30 bonded-phase HPLC column (150 mm x 3 mm x 3 �m) was employed for the chromatographic separation.  Purification of the hexane:acetone extracts was not necessary due to the high capacity and resolving power of the C30 column.  Assay precision was 8% (relative standard deviation).  Accuracy, as determined by spiking recovery, was 84%. The validated method is rapid, sensitive and replaces a labor-intensive spectrophotometric procedure previously used in our facility.

Determination of beta-carotene in soybean seed by HPLC with C30 bonded-phase column

246th National Meeting (2013)

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