Abstract
Background
Proanthocyanidins (PAC) are oligomers and polymers of flavan-3-ols with putative health benefits. PAC are prevalent in a wide variety of natural products and dietary supplements.
Objective
An inter-laboratory study was conducted to validate the 4-(dimethylamino)cinnamaldehyde (DMAC) colorimetric assay using a 96-well plate spectrophotometer for the accurate quantification of proanthocyanidins (PAC) in cranberry products and to evaluate the comparison of the procyanidin A2 (ProA2) dimer and cranberry PAC (c-PAC) reference standards.
Methods
Four test materials analyzed in this study included cranberry fiber powder, cranberry extract powder, concentrated cranberry juice, and a solution of cranberry PAC (30%, w/v). The samples were homogenized, extracted, sonicated, centrifuged, and analyzed using a 96 well plate spectrophotometer.
Results
The linearity for both ProA2 and c-PAC standards were determined from 4.053 to 50.666 µg/mL and from 13.520 to 135.95 µg/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviation of repeatability (RSD
r
) values for the four materials analyzed using both ProA2 and c-PAC standards met the Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPR®). The inter-laboratory precision using the Horwitz ratio (HorRat) values for the four materials analyzed using both ProA2 and c-PAC standards satisfies the acceptance range in Appendix K of the Official Methods of Analysis (2003): Guidelines for Dietary Supplements and Botanicals. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was estimated to be 3.16 µg/mL.
Conclusions
The results produced from this study demonstrate the utility of the c-PAC standard over the ProA2 standard and the advantages of using a 96-well plate spectrophotometer for the accurate quantification of PAC.
