Determination of α-Solanine and α-Chaconine in Potatoes by High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography/Densitometry
Abstract A high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was used to determine the glycoalkaloids α-solanine and α-chaconine in potatoes. α-Solanine and α-chaconine are extracted from dehydrated potatoes with boiling methanol–acetic acid (95 + 5, v/v). The analytes are separated on a Silica Gel 60 F254 HPTLC plate by a saturated mixture of dichloromethane–methanol–water–concentrated ammonium hydroxide (70 + 30 + 4 + 0.4, v/v), which is used for vertical development of the plate up to a distance of 85 mm. For visualization, the plate is dipped 3 times into a modified Carr-Price reagent, 20% (w/v) antimony(III) chloride in acetic acid–dichloromethane (1 + 3, v/v), and subsequently heated on a hot plate at 105°C for 5 min. The glycoalkaloids all appear as red chromatographic zones on a colorless background. Densitometric quantification is performed at 507 nm by reflectance scanning. After determination of the appropriate response function, the proposed method was validated. Good results with respect to linearity, accuracy, and precision were obtained in the concentration range studied.