Comparison of Various Analytical Methods for Biotin Quantification

This study compared different analytical methods for the quantification of biotin, designated as a fortifying nutrient in the Korean Food Code.Ensuring product quality and safety requires accurate quantification of food additives.On the other hand, the existence of different official biotin quantification methods across countries underscores the importance of identifying the most reliable and suitable approach.The official methods include titration, back titration, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).These methods differ in their analytical principles, procedural complexity, and sensitivity.The titration method showed 101.24±0.23%,satisfying the standard specification.It also presented a low standard deviation, reflecting high repeatability.The back titration method yielded a comparable mean value of 101.24±2.25%,but the larger standard deviation indicated lower precision.HPLC analysis is generally recognized for its superior sensitivity and selectivity.Nevertheless, in this study, even under optimized conditions at 20 °C, the relative standard deviation (RSD) values obtained from HPLC exceeded those of the titration method.Furthermore, the lack of a specified column temperature in the official protocol further limits its reliability.Therefore, titration is the most suitable method for biotin quantification in this study.