Development of HPLC-UV method for detection and quantification of seven organic acids in animal feed

A novel and simple method for detecting seven organic acids (formic acid, malic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, fumaric acid and propionic acid) in animal feed using high performance liquid chromatography equipped with a photo-diode array detector (HPLC/PDA) was developed. The chromatographic peaks of the seven organic acids were successfully identified by comparing their retention times and UV spectra with reference standards. Method validation was performed in terms of linearity, sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy, and precision. The limits of detection (LODs) for the instrument employed in these experiments ranged from 12 to 8,026 mu g/kg, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 43 to 26,755 mu g/kg. Average recoveries of the seven organic acids ranged from 79.3 to 95.2 %. Method replication resulted in intra- day and inter-day peak area variation of <3.2 %. The developed method was specific and reliable and is therefore suitable for the routine analysis of organic acids in animal feed.