To determine total vitamin C (AsA plus DAsA) in foodstuffs we developed a high-performance liquid chromatography method with precolumn derivatization using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH). A bishydrazone derivative of ascorbic acid was separated on a straight-phase system from other components such as saccharides and reductones which may react with DNPH. Moreover erythorbic acid were separated from ascorbic acid. Thus, the selectavility in analysis of total vitamin C was greatly improved. The separation was achieved on a Nucleosil (silica 3 /μm) column using a mixture of n-hexane ・ ethylacetate ・ acetic acid ・ n-propanol (4:3:0.1:0.2 v/v) as the mobile phase with・detection at 495 nm. Total vitamin C can be determined in concentrations as low as 0.1mg/100g.
