AOAC SPIFAN Nutrients ERP (December 7, 2022)

Amino-07 (SLV) 10-2022 FOR ERP USE ONLY DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

Introduction Taurine, 2-aminoethanesulphonic acid, is a major component of the free amino acid pool within mammals and is recognised as an essential growth factor and as being critical in the maintenance of functional tissue regulation.

Taurine (2-aminoethanesulphonic acid)

Taurine is considered a micronutrient; however, it is not a vitamin in that it can be synthesised in vivo . The nutritional demand for taurine by infants can exceed the de novo metabolic supply, making dietary supplementation necessary for optimal health outcomes. When breast milk substitutes are used, product fortification is regarded as mandatory due to the absence of taurine in soy protein and significantly lower taurine content in bovine milk compared to human milk. Taurine fortified infant formulas enable infants to maintain serum levels equivalent to their counterparts fed on their mother’s milk. The analytical method validated in this study has been accepted for publication in an upcoming issue in the Journal of AOAC International [1]. Principle Following protein precipitation with Carrez solution, taurine is extracted and separated by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) with detection by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in positive mode using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Stable isotope labelled taurine internal standard is used for quantitation to correct for losses in extraction and any ionisation suppression or enhancement effects in the ion source. Validation A single laboratory validation (SLV) study was undertaken to evaluate the analytical performance of a HILIC-MS/MS method for compliance with SMPR 2014.013 [2] and for consideration for First Action Official Method status. The validation protocol for inclusion in this report is based upon the published SPIFAN and AOAC SLV guidelines [3, 4].