Abstract

ANALYTICAL STUDY OF TLC-DENSITOMETRIC METHOD FOR QUALITY CONTROL OF DHA ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID IN FOOD SUPPLEMENTS

I. Pencheva*, D. Obreshkova,  G. Petrov and V. Petkova

¹Medical University – Sofia, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical chemistry,Dunav str., Sofia 1000, BULGARIA.

²Medical University – Plovdiv, Faculty of Pharmaceutical sciences, BULGARIA.

³Department of Social Pharmacy, 2 Dunav str., Sofia 1000, BULGARIA.

ABSTRACT

The aim of current study is quality control of DHA or docosahexaenoic essential fatty acid in supplement mixtures and food products. Recently the pharmaceutical and food industries produce a large number of supplements and products which contain essential fatty acids and especially DHA due to it important role to maintain the heart health. This resulted to enhanced attention to criteria of the analytical tests and procedures used in the quality control of essential fatty acid. For realizing of the purposes an accurate, precise, simple, cost effective quantitative method for quickly evaluation of DHA in supplement matrix was developed and applied using TLC-densitometry. Analytical parameters accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), linearity and system suitability test were studied and determined in accordance with ICH and European Pharmacopoeia requirements. Tree model reference mixtures containing DHA were prepared and analyzed. The results were estimated on the base standard deviations (SDs) and relative standard deviation (RSDs) at constant heights of marked areas on the TLC plates in the tolerance interval +1.66 / -0.42 % . The recovery of model mixtures is in the interval –0.24 / +0.57 %. Based on optimized validation procedure analytical tests for identification, related substances and assay were developed.

Keywords: TLC-densitometry, EFA (essential fatty acids), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), food quality.