CHARACTERIZATION OF POWDERED TURMERIC BY LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY AND GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY

Five commercial powdered turmeric samples were analyzed to identify ma jor and minor components. The developed HPLC method allows the separat ion of curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin, as well a s three other major components and numerous minor components. The sepa ration was accomplished on an octadecyl stationary phase using a mobil e phase consisting of 50 mM ammonium acetate with 5% acetic acid and a cetonitrile as the organic modifier. Thermospray mass spectra were obt ained for all of the components. Particle beam EI-mass spectra were ob tained for the curcuminoids, but could not be obtained for the other c omponents due to the limitations of the particle beam interface when a nalyzing volatile and semi-volatile compounds. EI mass spectra for the volatile components were obtained by direct thermal desorption-gas ch romatography-mass spectrometry (DTD-GC-MS).