Determination of Rutin in Plant Extracts and Emulsions by HPLC-MS

Abstract

A method for the determination of rutin was developed from in an O/W emulsion with decyl oleate and Ceteareth-20 containing Ginkgo biloba L., Hedera helix L., and Thymus vulgaris L. extracts. Total quantification of rutin was performed by determination in the aqueous and oily phase. Rutin was extracted from the oily phase by ultrasonication for 30 min at 37°C in methanol and resolved by liquid chromatography on a column containing a Gemini 3 µ C18 110A stationary phase. Chromatography was carried out using gradient elution with the mobile phase composed of water:formic acid and water:acetonitrile:formic acid, which was varied from 100:0.1 to 50:50:0.1 (v/v/v) over 80 min and delivered at a flow rate of 0.3 ml/min. The analytes were quantified using a UV-VIS absorption spectrometer at a wavelength of 254 nm and a single quadrupole mass spectrometer employing an ESI interface operated in the positive ion mode with single ion monitoring at m/z = 609.14. Finally, a simple and rapid method for the extraction and determination of rutin in hydrophilic and lipophilic phases of an O/W emulsion with good precision and acceptable recovery was developed. This method might be of special importance for the analysis of rutin and other flavonoids in O/W or W/O emulsion matrices.