Specific Features of the Determination of Xanthophyll Esters under Reversed-Phase HPLC Conditions

Abstract

Abstract: Specific features of chromatographic determination of xanthophyll esters are studied using an example of marigold flower lutein diesters under reversed-phase HPLC conditions. The developed two-column method made it possible to establish that, in samples with a low solubility of carotenoids in the used solvent and on a chromatography column in using a mobile phase with a low solubility of carotenoids, the precipitation of diesters is possible, which detrimentally affects the accuracy of the chromatographic determination. A critical factor in this case isì temperature: the storage of samples (solutions) in a refrigerator is not always advisable, because freezing of the main components is possible. It was shown that the use of a mobile phase containing from 0 to 10 vol % acetonitrile in acetone at a temperature not lower than 20°C is acceptable for the separation of all-trans-lutein diesters from cis-derivatives of lutein and zeaxanthin derivatives on “monomeric” C18-phases.