Folate content in sea buckthorn berries and related products (Hippophae rhamnoides L. ssp rhamnoides):: LC-MS/MS determination of folate vitamer stability influenced by processing and storage assessed by stable isotope dilution assay

A stable isotope dilution assay was adopted for quantitation of folate vitamers in sea buckthorn berries, juice, and concentrate using fourfold labeled folate isotopologues of the folate derivatives as the internal standards and reversed-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Processing effects and storage stability were investigated during juice and concentrate production from sea buckthorn berries (Hippophae rhamnoides). The technological processing of the berries caused a total degradation of tetrahydrofolate and 5-formyltetrahydrofolate in the generated juice. The content of the main folate vitamer 5-methyltetrahydrofolate remained approximately unchanged during the whole processing from the berries to the concentrate. Sea buckthorn juice was stored under two household storage conditions (6 degrees C, 25 degrees C), and also under accelerated aging conditions (40 degrees C) for up to 7 days to determine the effects of storage temperature on the stability of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. The content of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate was nearly unchanged during the storage at 6 degrees C after 7 days. The juice showed almost identical degradation of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate of about 17-20% at 25 degrees C and 40 degrees C after 7 days of storage.