Radioisotopic determination of l-carnitine content in foods commonly eaten in Western countries

Abstract l -Carnitine is a vitamin-like nutrient essential for energy production and lipid metabolism in many organs and tissues such as skeletal muscle and heart. Even if l -carnitine can be synthesized, most of the carnitine present in human body is provided by food. Until now, no large study has been conducted where the content in l -carnitine of various foods was analyzed. The objective of this study was to determine the level of free l -carnitine present in food commonly consumed in Western countries. A radioisotopic assay was used to estimate l -carnitine content in raw and processed foods. From this study, it clearly appeared that meat products were the best sources for l -carnitine.…