Measurement of glucosamine in dietary supplements by HPLC

CHED 351

Jamie L. Hornock, hornockj@etown.edu and Kristi A. Kneas, kneask@etown.edu. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Elizabethtown College, One Alpha Drive, Elizabethtown, PA 17022
Until very recently, dietary supplements were poorly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. As such, the amount of active ingredient indicated on the label of supplements has been unreliable. We describe an HPLC method for measurement of the dietary supplement glucosamine, one of the top five over the counter supplements sold in the U.S. Results obtained for a number of commercially available brands of glucosamine are important to consumers and demonstrate the importance of the new regulations. The viability of the HPLC method for measurement of glucosamine in the teaching laboratory is discussed.