Regulatory compliance of taurine containing food products marketed in India using a validated method: A pilot study.

Taurine is an important functional food ingredient found in infant food, nutritional supplements and energy
drinks. Concerns about the safety and quality of these products have prompted enhanced regulatory interest and
enforcement. This study aimed to investigate regulatory compliance of taurine, in selected food products
available in the Indian market. To assess compliance, a liquid chromatography method based on post-column
derivatization with ninhydrin for the determination of taurine was validated for selectivity, accuracy, precision,
linearity range, limit of detection, recovery and analysis of certified reference material. Excellent sensitivity,
reproducibility and selectivity were achieved. The limit of detection and limit of quantification for the
method was 0.0014 mg/100 mL and 0.0044 mg/100 mL, respectively. The overall percentage recoveries ranged
from 95 % to 98 %. A total of 26 different products were analysed for their taurine content and compared with
the label claim. Box-plots revealed wide variation in the taurine content. The determined concentrations of
taurine ranged from 21.69 to 36.80 mg/100 g for infant foods with 7 out of the 9 samples analysed in the
permitted tolerance limit of 20 % of the stated claim. Taurine content varied from 195.7 to 445.8 mg/100 mL for
energy drinks with the percentage difference between obtained and declared values ranging from 4.15 to 11.46.
All the 9 dietary supplements analyzed were found to contain taurine (20.48–68.62 mg/100 g), even though it
was not listed as an ingredient. Our results confirm the efficacy of the proposed method in ensuring compliance
with taurine in food products, underlining its importance for risk assessors and regulators.