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Twelve popular ready-to-eat breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid were sampled in the United States in 2006, and the data have been incorporated into the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Cereals were collected from three statistically selected retail outlets in each of four primary census regions, and four composites of each product were prepared using random groupings of three locations each. Folic acid was determined using a validated LC-MS method, with 13C-folic acid as an internal standard, after trienzyme treatment and solid phase extraction. A cereal reference material (AACC VMA399) was analyzed as a control. Selected samples were also assayed using the standard microbiological method, with and without trienzyme extraction, to generate an estimate of endogenous folate. On average, as shown on the label, folate content was underestimated. In seven cereals, folate was within 5% of the declared value; in four cereals, it was 5–20% higher; and in two cereals, it was >20% greater, representing –75 to +69 µg/serving (mean 17) of the label value, equivalent to –19% to +17% of the 400 µg/daily value. The microbiologically determined folic acid was higher than LC-MS by 10–67% (mean 40%). Therefore, use of label values might underestimate folate intake from some breakfast cereals.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described to determine the sucrose polyester (SPE) content in seven blends of cooking oils. Four gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) columns were used in series with an evaporative light scattering mass detector to separate the SPE from the acylglycerols in the final chromatogram. The SPE fraction was collected off the GPC column and injected onto a reverse-phase C-18 column for quantitation with sucrose octaacetate as an internal standard and a gradient of nonaqueous solvents as mobile phase. The chromatograms were interference-free, with only two sharp peaks appearing. The standards were linear from 500 to 5000 µg/mL with a correlation coefficient of r=0.999. The mean percent recovery (n=9) and standard deviation were 102±6.7. The detector could detect amounts as low as 5 µg SPE.

Early milk samples from 102 American mothers were examined for Ca, P, and Mg contents in relation to stage of lactation, intake of prenatal mineral supplements, maternal age, parity, and previous history of lactation. A total of 415 samples were collected at three stages of lactation: early transitional (4–7 days postpartum): transitional (10–14 days postpartum): and mature (30–45 days postpartum). No diurnal variations in element concentrations were observed in representative samples of late evening (PM) and early morning (AM) feedings collected during the transitional and mature stages. The mean concentrations for the major elements were highest in early transitional milk and in some cases decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as lactation progressed. Ca, P, and Mg contents (means ± SEM) were 26.3 ± 0.6., 14.6 ± 0.4, 5.3 ± 0.1 mg/100 g in early transitional milk and 26.2 ± 0.5, 13.3 ± 0.3, and 5.0 ± 0.1 in mature milk, respectively. Increasing uniformity in the elemental content of milk was noted among the mothers as lactation became established. No significant relationship was found between intake of dietary supplements containing Ca and Mg and levels of these elements in milk. Also, no significant correlations were found between maternal age, parity, or previous history of lactation and the elemental content of milk. From these data, it was estimated that fully breast-fed infants would receive approximately 33, 18, and 6.5 mg/kg/day of Ca, P, and Mg, respectively, during the neonatal period.

A comparison of the responses of an evaporative light-scattering detector (ELSD) and a fluorescence detector for tocopherols in vegetable oils by high-performance liquid chromatography is presented. The tocopherols were separated from acylglycerols by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC). The tocopherol fraction was collected off a set of four GPC columns with a mobile phase of methylene chloride before separation on a normal-phase silica column with a mobile phase of hexane/isopropanol, 99.7:0.3 (vol/vol). An internal standard of 5,7 dimethyltocol, which was detected by both the ELSD and fluorescence detector, was used to obtain quantitative data. The fluorescence detector was ten times more sensitive than the ELSD. ?-Tocopherol was the major tocopherol detected in the vegetable oils studied and ranged from 24.1–93.3 mg/100 g. The amounts of tocopherols found in the vegetable oils agreed favorably with the literature values.

Early milk samples from 102 American mothers were examined for Ca, P, and Mg contents in relation to stage of lactation, intake of prenatal mineral supplements, maternal age, parity, and previous history of lactation. A total of 415 samples were collected at three stages of lactation: early transitional (4–7 days postpartum): transitional (10–14 days postpartum): and mature (30–45 days postpartum). No diurnal variations in element concentrations were observed in representative samples of late evening (PM) and early morning (AM) feedings collected during the transitional and mature stages. The mean concentrations for the major elements were highest in early transitional milk and in some cases decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as lactation progressed. Ca, P, and Mg contents (means ± SEM) were 26.3 ± 0.6., 14.6 ± 0.4, 5.3 ± 0.1 mg/100 g in early transitional milk and 26.2 ± 0.5, 13.3 ± 0.3, and 5.0 ± 0.1 in mature milk, respectively. Increasing uniformity in the elemental content of milk was noted among the mothers as lactation became established. No significant relationship was found between intake of dietary supplements containing Ca and Mg and levels of these elements in milk. Also, no significant correlations were found between maternal age, parity, or previous history of lactation and the elemental content of milk. From these data, it was estimated that fully breast-fed infants would receive approximately 33, 18, and 6.5 mg/kg/day of Ca, P, and Mg, respectively, during the neonatal period.