Determination of Coenzyme Q10 Content in Food By-Products and Waste by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Diode Array Detection
Cristina Anamaria Semeniuc,
Floricuța Ranga,
Andersina Simina Podar,
Simona Raluca Ionescu,
Maria-Ioana Socaciu,
Melinda Fogarasi,
Anca Corina Fărcaș,
Dan Cristian Vodnar,
Sonia Ancuța Socaci
Affiliations
Cristina Anamaria Semeniuc
Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Mănăştur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Floricuța Ranga
Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Mănăştur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Andersina Simina Podar
Centre for Technology Transfer-BioTech, 64 Calea Florești, 400509 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Simona Raluca Ionescu
Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Mănăştur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Maria-Ioana Socaciu
Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Mănăştur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Melinda Fogarasi
Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Mănăştur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Anca Corina Fărcaș
Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Mănăştur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Dan Cristian Vodnar
Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Mănăştur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Sonia Ancuța Socaci
Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Mănăştur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a vitamin-like compound found naturally in plant- and animal-derived materials. This study aimed to determine the level of CoQ10 in some food by-products (oil press cakes) and waste (fish meat and chicken hearts) to recover this compound for further use as a dietary supplement. The analytical method involved ultrasonic extraction using 2-propanol, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The HPLC-DAD method was validated in terms of linearity and measuring range, limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), trueness, and precision. As a result, the calibration curve of CoQ10 was linear over the concentration range of 1–200 µg/mL, with an LOD of 22 µg/mL and an LOQ of 0.65 µg/mL. The CoQ10 content varied from not detected in the hempseed press cake and the fish meat to 84.80 µg/g in the pumpkin press cake and 383.25 µg/g in the lyophilized chicken hearts; very good recovery rates and relative standard deviations (RSDs) were obtained for the pumpkin press cake (100.9–116.0% with RSDs between 0.05–0.2%) and the chicken hearts (99.3–106.9% CH with RSDs between 0.5–0.7%), showing the analytical method’s trueness and precision and thus its accuracy. In conclusion, a simple and reliable method for determining CoQ10 levels has been developed here.
