PREPARATIVE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC PURIFICATION OF SAFFRON SECONDARY METABOLITES

A preparative HPLC procedure to isolate picrocrocin, the compound resp onsible for the taste of saffron and precursor of the aromatic safrana l, and the mixture of yellow pigments from a saffron hydroalcoholic ex tract has been developed. A reversed-phase C18 column was employed as the stationary phase. The best separation was obtained with 45% methan ol, plus a 90% acetonitrile pulse 3 min after starting the run, as mob ile phase. To obtain the highest yield from the system, sample size wa s increased up to 2 ml of 200 mg ml-1 saffron extract; under such cond itions a good resolution was obtained and picrocrocin and saffron pigm ents were separated with a high purification yield and purity.