Determination of Amygdalin in Apricot Kernels and Almonds Using LC-MS/MS

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Abstract

Background

Cyanogenic glycosides are secondary metabolites in plants. In almonds and apricot kernels, amygdalin is an abundant cyanogenic glycoside. Upon consumption, amygdalin is enzymatically metabolized into hydrogen cyanide. Depending on the number of kernels consumed and the amygdalin concentration, ingestion of amygdalin-containing kernels may result in adverse effects. To better understand the US marketplace, the development and validation of analytical methods to reliably measure amygdalin in apricot kernels and almonds is needed to support the collection of occurrence and consumption data in retail products.

Objective

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantitation of amygdalin in apricot kernels and almonds following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Foods Program Guidelines for the Validation of Chemical Methods, 3rd Edition.

Methods

Apricot kernels and almonds were cryogenically homogenized and extracted using methanol containing an internal standard (IS), geniposide, followed by filtration, dilution, and LC-MS/MS analysis. Matrix effects were minimized using dilution. Quantitation was achieved using an external, solvent-based calibration.

Results

The amygdalin response was linear (r2 > 0.99) over a range of 0.05–50 µg/mL. The recovery of amygdalin spiked at 10–10 000 µg/g in sweet apricot kernels, raw almond, and dry-roasted almond ranged from 90 to 107% with RSDs ≤6%. The method limit of detection and limit of quantitation was 0.8 and 2.5 ng/g, respectively. Amygdalin concentrations in 18 market samples ranged from 2 to 24 000 µg/g. Corresponding estimates of cyanide concentration ranged from 0.2 to 1420 µg/g.

Conclusions

Method performance meets the acceptance criteria defined by FDA guidelines and is fit for purpose for the analysis of amygdalin in apricot kernels and almonds.

Highlights

An LC-MS/MS method is developed for the quantification of amygdalin in apricot kernels and almonds.

Related collections

Most cited references 26

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Amygdalin content of seeds, kernels and food products commercially-available in the UK.

Islamiyat Bolarinwa, Caroline Orfila, Michael R A Morgan (2014)

Cyanogenic glycosides are a large group of secondary metabolites that are widely distributed in the plant kingdom, including many plants that are commonly consumed by humans. The diverse chemical nature of cyanogenic glycosides means that extraction and analysis of individual compounds can be difficult. In addition, degradation can be rapid under appropriate conditions. Amygdalin is one of the cyanogenic glycosides found, for example, in apples, apricots and almonds. We have developed and applied a high performance liquid chromatographic procedure for amygdalin quantification to investigate extraction efficiency and to determine levels in a range of commercially-available foods for the first time. Our results show that seed from Rosaceae species contained relatively high amounts (range 0.1-17.5 mg g(-1)) of amygdalin compared to seed from non-Rosaceae species (range 0.01-0.2 mg g(-1)). The amygdalin content of processed food products was very low.