Vitamin B2 concentration in cow milk: Quantification by a new UHPLC method and prediction by visible and near-infrared spectral analysis

Abstract

Until now, there are few information on vitamin B₂ concentration variability in milk. In this study, a novel analytical method to quantify total vitamin B₂ in milk was developed and applied on 676 samples. In parallel, spectral analysis (colorimetry and near infrared spectroscopy) were performed to develop prediction models of vitamin B₂ concentration in milk. The analytical method includes an acid and enzymatic extraction followed by vitamin B₂ quantification by Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with fluorimetry. Samples analysis showed a wide range of concentration from 0.78 to 4.58 mg/L with a mean of 2.09 ± 0.48 mg/L. Two prediction models based on colorimetric analysis allow estimation of vitamin B₂ concentration in milk. Thus, this work shows an analytical method and, for the first time, a prediction method to enable enhancement of researches on vitamin B₂ content of milk and its variation factors.

Keywords: CIELAB color space; Liquid chromatography; NIRS; Riboflavin; Spectral methods; Visible spectra.