Determination of cholesterol content in foods and functional foods by gas chromatography mass spectrometry GC-MS

Abstract

Cholesterol is a soft, pale yellow steroid fat that exists in the body's cell membranes and is transported in the plasma of most animals. This compound plays an important role in the physiology of the human body. However, excess cholesterol in the diet is also one of the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the quantification of cholesterol in foods and functional foods is essential so that consumers can choose a diet containing the right amount of cholesterol. This study used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to quantify cholesterol, with ISQ 7000 GC-MS system, TraceGOLD TG-5MS chromatographic column, and electron impact (EI) ionization mode. The validity of the method was confirmed according to the guidelines of the Association of Official Analytical Collaborations (AOAC). The results showed that the method has good specificity, the linearity range from 5 to 100 μg/mL in working solution, the detection limit of 1.5 to 15 mg/kg, the quantification limit of 5.0 to 50 mg/kg, depending on the matrix; the method's recovery were from 92.6 to 108.4% and the precision has relative standard deviations of 1.18 - 2.84%, meeting the requirements of AOAC. The method was used to analyze samples of dairy foods and functional foods randomly purchased in the market.