Development and validation of a specific-stability indicating liquid chromatography method for quantitative analysis of pterostilbene: application in food and pharmaceutical products

Abstract

Pterostilbene is a natural constituent with numerous preventive and therapeutic properties used for treating a wide range of human diseases. It has been isolated from blueberries in high concentrations. A versatile specific-stability indicating liquid chromatography method for reliable quantitative determination of pterostilbene in blueberry extracts was developed. In the stability-indicating analysis, pterostilbene samples were exposed to stress conditions: temperature, UV light, and oxidative, acid and alkaline media. The robustness of the method was evaluated using a Box–Behnken experimental design. Pterostilbene was stable in acid and alkaline media, but unstable when exposed to oxidation, high temperature, and UV light. Using the proposed method, it was demonstrated that degradation products did not interfere in the analyte analysis. The method revealed to be simple, fast, selective, linear, precise and accurate for the quantitative analysis of pterostilbene in Vaccinium myrtillus extract. Besides being a specific-stability indicating method, it demonstrated to be applicable to quantify pterostilbene in pterostilbene:β-cyclodextrin complexes and pterostilbene:β-cyclodextrin:hydrophilic polymer ternary systems. These findings are relevant for the development of food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic products containing pterostilbene or blueberry extracts.