Validation of Taurine Determination Method in Energy Drinks by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

The presence of taurine in energy drinks stimulates the central nervous system and intensifies brain activity, reducing fatigue and creating alertness. Consuming high doses of taurine can cause adverse symptoms such as headache, irritability, and kidney problems. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the constituents of energy drinks to ensure the level of taurine in the products. The standard concentration defined for energy drinks is 400-1500 mg/liter and acceptable daily intake (ADI) is equal to 21 mg/kg/day. In this research, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure and validate the analysis method of 10 different brands of energy drinks. After validation of the method, 10 drink samples were collected from Tehran city and tested for taurine content. In order to separate taurine, a gradient system with a mobile phase of phosphate buffer solution/acetonitrile/ methanol and deionized water (45:45:10) was used and measurement was carried out using ultraviolet detector at 338 nm wavelength. The results indicated that the lowest concentration of taurine among all the examined samples is related to the Red Bull brand with an amount of 116.46 mg/L and the highest amount is related to the Happy Life brand with a concentration of 2006.68 mg/L. It was taken the limit of detection (LOD) was calculated as 27.18 mg/L and the limit of quantification (LOQ) as 90.60 mg/L. Comparison of the obtained results with international standards showed that the taurine content of these drinks is lower than the standard limit in most of the examined samples.