USP-Compliant Analysis of Vitamin in Dietary Supplement : Analysis of Cyanocobalamin

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is used as one standard in quality control of dietary supplements. 
Vitamin B₁₂ is a general name for vitamins which contain cobalt. Although vitamin B₁₂ is involved in blood formation and metabolism, it cannot be synthesized in the body and is rarely found in foods of plant origin. Because vitamin B₁₂ deficiency occurs easily, vitamin B₁₂ is included in many dietary supplements ⁽¹⁾. Generally, the amount of vitamin B₁₂ is expressed as the cyanocobalamin equivalent value. 
In USP40-NF35, ”Oil and Water Soluble Vitamins with Mineral Tablets Cyanocobalamin” describes two analytical methods for cyanocobalamin, an analytical ethod by HPLC and a microbial assay ⁽²⁾. 
Here, a USP40-NF35-compliant system suitability test for cyanocobalamin, representing vitamin B₁₂, was conducted using a Shimadzu Nexera XR. An analysis of a commercial multivitamin tablet was also carried out, and the compatibility of Nexera XR and Prominence™ was verified. 

Spectra of Cyanocobalamin

<References> 
(1) National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (https://hfnet.nibiohn.go.jp/contents/detail177.html) 
(2) United States Pharmacopeia 40: 7384 “Oil and Water Soluble Vitamins with Mineral Tablets Cyanocobalamin”