Analysis of Taurine in Infant Formulas and Adult Nutritionals by Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry: First Action 2022.03

Abstract

Abstract Background Taurine is recognized as an essential growth factor and as being critical in the maintenance of functional tissue regulation. Objective To evaluate the analytical performance of a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) method for compliance with AOAC Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPR®) for taurine analysis described in SMPR 2014.013. Method Following protein precipitation with Carrez solutions, taurine is extracted and separated by HILIC with detection by triple quadrupole MS using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Stable isotope labeled (SIL) taurine internal standard is used for quantification to correct for losses in extraction and variations in ionization in the ion source. Results The method was shown to meet the requirements specified in the SMPR with a linear range of 0.27–2700 mg/hg RTF (ready-to-feed), a limit of detection of 0.14 mg/hg RTF, acceptable recovery of 97.2–100.1%, and acceptable repeatability of 1.6–6.4% relative standard deviation. Additionally, the method was found to have no statistically significant bias compared with reference values for National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 1849a certified reference material (CRM) (P-value = 0.95) and 1869 CRM (P-value = 0.31), and with results from AOAC 997.05 (P-value = 0.10). Conclusions A recent review of the method and validation data by the Stakeholder Program on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals (SPIFAN) Expert Review Panel (ERP) found that this method met all the criteria for analysis of taurine specified in SMPR 2014.013 and voted to adopt this method as First Action AOAC Official MethodSM2022.03. Highlights A method for the analysis of taurine in infant formulas and adult nutritionals by HILIC–MS/MS is described. A single-laboratory validation (SLV) study demonstrated the applicability of the method to meet requirements of SMPR 2014.013. In December 2022, the SPIFAN ERP voted to adopt this method as First Action AOAC Official Method 2022.03.