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 detectio n was used to determine the folate contents of fish, meat, fish and me at products, chicken, eggs, and milk consumed in Finland, 5-Methyltetr ahydrofolate, tetrahydrofolate, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, 10-formylfol ic acid, and folic acid from 24 commodities obtained from supermarkets , retail stores, and different outlets in the Helsinki area were analy zed, Pooled samples were extracted at pH 6.0 in the presence of antiox idants and deconjugated with hog kidney deconjugase, Very low levels o f folates were detected in meat and meat products, Fresh fish, fish st icks, and chicken meat contained reasonable amounts (3-13 mu g/100 g) of tetrahydrofolate and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, Egg yolk contained h igh concentrations of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (140-150 mu g/100 g); 1 0-formylfolic acid was also detected (14-17 mu g/100 g). Between-speci es differences in folate monoglutamate distributions were observed, Th e highest levels of tetrahydrofolate, >5 mu g/100 g, were found in chi cken 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 an imal origin, Recovery of added folates ranged from 49 to 96%.