Determination of organic acids in Salicornia herbacea by solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography

A solid-phase extraction (SPE) method for the determination of procatechuic acid, ferulic acid and caffeic acid in Salicornia herbacea L. (Hamcho) has been developed. The optimal conditions were obtained by using a C18 SPE cartridge. By using ethanol and acetonitrile /water/ trifluoracetic acid as washing and eluting solvents, most interfering compounds originating from the hamcho matrix were eliminated. The extracts were sufficiently clean to be directly injected into the HPLC for further chromatographic analysis. Good linearity was obtained from 0.1 to 200 microg/mL (r > 0.999) for procatechuic acid, 0.2 to 400 microg/mL (r > 0.999) for caffeic acid and 0.3 to 600 microg/mL (r > 0.999) for ferulic acid, with the relative standard deviations being less than 3.6%. The mean recoveries of procatechuic acid, ferulic acid and caffeic acid from hamcho were more than 79.2% and the detection limit (S/N = 3:1) was 0.02 microg/mL for procatechuic acid, 0.01 microg/mL for caffeic acid and 0.04 microg/mL for ferulic acid. This method is a viable alternative to the existing HPLC methods for analyzing the content of procatechuic acid, ferulic acid and caffeic acid in hamcho.