Liquid chromatographic determination of folate monoglutamates in fish, meat, egg, and dairy products consumed in Finland.

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method with fluorescence and UV detection was used to determine the folate contents of fish, meat, fish and meat products, chicken, eggs, and milk consumed in Finland. 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate, tetrahydrofolate, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, 10-formylfolic acid, and folic acid from 24 commodities obtained from supermarkets, retail stores, and different outlets in the Helsinki area were analyzed. Pooled samples were extracted at pH 6.0 in the presence of antioxidants and deconjugated with hog kidney deconjugase. Very low levels of folates were detected in meat and meat products. Fresh fish, fish sticks, and chicken meat contained reasonable amounts (3-13 micrograms/100 g) of tetrahydrofolate and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. Egg yolk contained high concentrations of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (140-150 micrograms/100 g); 10-formylfolic acid was also detected (14-17 micrograms/100 g). Between-species differences in folate monoglutamate distributions were observed. The highest levels of tetrahydrofolate, > 5 micrograms/100 g, were found in chicken meat and fillets of rainbow trout, whitefish, and baltic herring. Tetrahydrofolate was most abundant in fresh fish. LC was well suited for analyzing folate compositions of meat, fish, and other foods of animal origin. Recovery of added folates ranged from 49 to 96%.