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Title: Inorganic elemental compositions of commercial multivitamin/mineral dietary supplements: application of collision/reaction cell inductively coupled-mass spectroscopy

Author
item AVULA, BHARATHI - University Of Mississippi
item WANG, YAN-HONG - University Of Mississippi
item DUZGOREN-AYDIN, NURDAN - University Of Mississippi
item KHAN, IKHLAS - University Of Mississippi

Submitted to: Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/17/2010
Publication Date: 12/24/2010
Citation: Avula, B., Wang, Y., Duzgoren-Aydin, N.S., Khan, I.A. 2010. Inorganic elemental compositions of commercial multivitamin/mineral dietary supplements: application of collision/reaction cell inductively coupled-mass spectroscopy. Food Chemistry. 127:54-62.

Interpretive Summary: Thirty five different commercially available multivitamin/mineral (MVM) dietary supplements in various dosage forms for children, women, men, young and adult consumption were analyzed using ICP-MS for their elemental compositions. Samples were digested using closed vessel microwave system. Additionally, for toxic elements calculated daily intake values are compared with those of the regulatory guideline values (e.g., recommended dietary allowance). The results revealed that all analyzed products have calculated daily intake of toxic element concentrations lower than those of the regulatory limits. Furthermore, it is found to have the same product high as well as low elemental compositions compared to their corresponding claimed values.

Technical Abstract: Microwave digestion followed by analysis using ICP-MS has been shown to be a simple, fast reliable method for the multi-element determination in multivitamin/mineral dietary supplements (MVM). A study of 35 popular MVM dietary supplements revealed that composition and levels varied among products, and no standard compositional formulation of MVM existed. The described method shows higher recoveries of all elements of interest and in these analyses, four toxic elements, essential elements and non essential elements that can be toxic at higher concentrations were used. The results showed that all 35 products have calculated daily intake of toxic elements concentration lower than those of the regulatory limits. Overall, the percentage deviation from the label claim is element specific.