Determination of 10 - Hydroxy - 2 - Decenoic acid in Royal Jelly by capillary electrophoresis

Abstract

Two commercial samples of Royal Jelly sold in Chile, consisting of two imported sample and another sample of known origin obtained freshly harvested from beekeepers were analyzed. The application of capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the separation and determination of the active compound, 10 hydroxy -2 - decenoic acid, in Royal Jelly (RJ) in a capillary column with UV detection at 214 nm is described. In addition, the physicochemical composition of commercial samples was analyzed by determining moisture, ash, lipid and other properties. The importance of determining the 10-HDA acid lies in the fact that it is the main difference between Royal Jelly and the other bee products, i.e., it is what confers this product its unique characteristics, generating a marked difference. Therefore, a low 10-HDA content implies a low Royal Jelly activity, ascribed to decomposition, poor quality, or something else to the commercialization of a product other than Royal Jelly. This determination was conducted by comparison with a pure 10-HDA standard.