Gas chromatography (GC)was selected as a suitable platform for
this work because inositol exists in many distinct forms within milk
powders and infant formulations and their determination as a single
entity is advantageous for nutritional labelling purposes. Inositol is a
very stable compound and survives harsh acidic conditions at high
temperature, whereas fats, proteins and most carbohydrates are
decomposed, many to carbon itself. Under these conditions, inositol
phosphates and phosphatidylinositol are converted to free inositol,
thereby yielding a single measurand for subsequent detection.