Methods of Analysis of Thiamine : A Review

Abstract

Thiamine (B1) is a component of B vitamins and multivitamin preparations. Several analytical methods have been developed for the assay of thiamine in pharmaceutical preparations and biological samples. These methods are based on the chemical, physical and microbiological characteristics of the molecule and include UV and visible spectrometry, fluorimetry, chromatography, injection flow, light scattering and microbiological methods. The applications of these methods depend on the level of concentration of the vitamin in the samples to be determined. Fluorimetric methods are more sensitive than the other methods used for the assay of thiamine. The microbiological methods based on the promotion of microbial growth are more specific and provide better results compared to the physical methods. The problem of the assay of thiamine in combination with other vitamins can be performed by the application of chromatographic methods.