Isolation and purification of active components from natural origins is a challenging process requiring multiple steps and often large amounts of organic solvent. The diversity of compounds present in an extract is large and adequate purification can require different chromatographic techniques for effective isolation. A further complication is that natural product extracts may contain critical components that are both chromophoric and non-chromophoric. Identifying non-chromophoric compounds in complex mixtures can be difficult. Traditional ultraviolet (UV) detection fails to detect targets and impurities that are present at low levels or lack chromophores. Evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) provides advantages over spectroscopic detectors for detecting compounds that are deficient in a UV-absorbing chromophore or fluorophore.
Here we demonstrate the isolation and purification of capsaicins in chili powder to greater than 95% purity using a new hybrid flash chromatography and preparative chromatography system. Additionally, non-chromophoric Stevioside & Rebaudioside A can be purified to 98.65% and 98.5% purity respectively from other non-chromophoric impurities using the same system.
Fig. 1: Flash purification of stevia extract.
