A new certified reference material (GBW10037) of vitamin B3 in infant formula

Concentration of vitamins in infant formula needs to be checked in order to ensure healthy growth and development of infants. A new certified reference material (CRM) of vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) in infant formula (no. GBW10037) was developed by applying LC–IDMS (liquid chromatography–isotope dilution mass spectrometry) method and LC–UV (liquid chromatography–ultraviolet) method. The relative expanded uncertainty of nicotinamide was 5.6%. The methods were validated by an international intercomparison for determination of nicotinamide in the formula. In the intercomparison, the result by these methods approached the median, and the uncertainty was the smallest among all the participants. The new CRM of vitamin B3 in infant formula is capable of validating analytical measurements of laboratories, for ensuring accuracy, traceability, reliability and comparability of analytical results from different laboratories.