Vortex-Assisted Mechanochemical Extraction and HPLC Analysis of Coenzyme Q10 in Meat: Impact of Cooking and Irradiation on Stability

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a natural antioxidant that plays a key role in cellular energy production and offers various health benefits, research on its stability during food processing is lacking. This study validated a vortex-assisted mechanochemical extraction (VAME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis for quantification of CoQ10 in minced beef meat with and without 0.1% w/w black pepper oil fortification. Sample pretreatment included vortex extraction with 0.1% FeCl3 for 30 s, followed by homogenization with 5 ml acetonitrile using a bead mill homogenizer (0.8 m/s, 1.4 mm bead, 30 s). Separation was achieved on an RP18 column with CH3CN: THF: Water (55:40:5, v/v) at 275 nm. The method showed good linearity (R² > 0.998), recovery (95–105%), precision (RSD < 10.4%), LOD (0.11 mg/kg), and LOQ (0.33 mg/kg). It was applied to assess the impact of conventional cooking techniques, UV irradiation (1 and 3 min), and HeNe laser irradiation (10 and 30 s) with and without fortification. Proximate analysis revealed significant effects of cooking on fat, moisture, and protein. Results indicated significant degradation of CoQ10 under cooking (p < 0.05). Oven-grilled (39.00 ± 0.41 mg/kg) and fried (48.00 ± 0.28 mg/kg) samples showed the lowest concentrations. In contrast, HeNe laser irradiation of pepper fortified minced meat increased CoQ10 levels compared with controls, alongside high antioxidant activity (DPPH assay, IC50 2.26 ± 0.03, n = 3), suggesting synergistic protective interactions between pepper antioxidants and laser treatment. Coupling cooking and irradiation enhanced CoQ10 retention.