Planta Med 2014; 80 - P1M18
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1394585

Tumerone as a quality marker in integrated value chains of Curcuma longa products

A Booker 1, 4, D Frommenwiler 2, D Johnston 3, E Reich 2, M Heinrich 1, 4
  • 1Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, UCL School of Pharmacy, University of London, UK
  • 2CAMAG, Sonnenmattstrasse 11, 4132 Muttenz, Switzerland
  • 3School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London UK
  • 4Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health, 36 Gordon Square, London, UK

Introduction: Raw materials are vital components of herbal products but little is known about the variability of the starting material [1] or of the manufactured products. Objectives: In a phytochemical analysis of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), HPTLC data provided evidence that there were compounds present in fresh root samples (tracks 11 to 12) that were less evident in ground powder samples but greater in a product obtained from a vertically integrated value chain (VIVC) (tracks 2 to 4) than a product obtained from the general market (track 8) [2]. We hypothesised that this compound was tumerone.

Methodology: NMR scans of the turmeric raw material and standard tumerone were compared to the samples of interest in the HPTLC chromatogram (see Fig. 1) Standard tumerone was also compared to the samples using HPTLC.

Results: Comparing NMR and HPTLC results, tumerone was identified in the samples, giving unique NMR peaks at 6.14 and 7.08 ppm. Comparing the intensity of the zones at Rf 0.25 in the HPTLC chromatogram against the intensity of peaks in the NMR-spectra, there is good visual correlation between the two techniques and it is highly probable that tumerone is present in the sample (confirmed by HPTLC).

Conclusion: Using 1 H-NMR spectroscopy and HPTLC, we compared different samples to a tumerone reference standard and confirmed that a product obtained from a VIVC was relatively high in this compound compared to a sample taken from the traditional route of supply.

Keywords: Tumerone, NMR, HPTLC, Quality

References:

[1] Booker A, Johnston D, Heinrich M. Value chains of herbal medicines – Research needs and key challenges in the context of ethnopharmacology. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2012; 140: 624 – 633

[2] Booker A, Frommenwiler D, Johnston D et al. Chemical variability along the value chains of turmeric (Curcuma longa): A comparison of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2014; doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.12.042: