Development and validation of reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography for citral analysis from essential...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Citral, a monoterpene aldehyde, is extensively utilized in aromatherapy, food, and pesticide applications.
• Accurate quantification of citral isomers is crucial for quality control in various industries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for detecting and quantifying citral cis-trans isomers.
• To compare the efficacy of the new RP-HPLC method against existing techniques like Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).

Main Methods:

• Utilized an Enable C-18G column with an acetonitrile-water mobile phase (70:30) in isocratic mode.
• Employed a photodiode array (PDA) detector set at 233nm for citral detection.
• Validated the method for linearity, selectivity, and accuracy within the 3-100 μg/mL range.

Main Results:

• The RP-HPLC method demonstrated excellent linearity, selectivity, and accuracy for citral quantification.
• Analysis of Cymbopogon flexuosus essential oil showed 74.98% citral content via RP-HPLC, closely matching GC-MS results (72.76%).
• The method successfully analyzed citral in essential oils extracted from lemongrass, lemon leaves, and mosambi peels.

Conclusions:

• The developed RP-HPLC method is a validated and suitable technique for analyzing citral in essential oils and water-based formulations.
• The method provides high resolution for citral components, geranial and neral.
• This offers a reliable analytical tool for quality control and research involving citral.