QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF CURCUMIN IN TURMERIC POWDER AND TURMERIC–HONEY BALL PILLS BY HPLC

Background: Curcumin is a major ingredient in turmeric (Curcuma longa L., Zingiberaceae), which has important activities such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-ischemia, protection of gastric mucosa etc,. Curcumin can be considered as a biological marker of turmeric and turmeric products. Objectives: Developing an HPLC method for quantification of curcumin in turmeric powder and turmeric - honey ball pills; applying this method for products on the market. Materials and methods: turmeric powder and turmeric - honey ball pills collected in Thua Thien Hue province. After optimization process, the method was validated and applied to evaluate the content of curcumin. Results: The chromatography analysis was performed with: Zorbaz Eclipse XDB-C18 (150 × 4.6 nm; 5 µm); Mobile phase: acetonitril: 2% acetic acid (45:55), Flow rate was kept constant at 1.0 ml/min; Detector PDA (420 nm). The method was validated for the HPLC system compatibility, specificity, linearity range, precision and accuracy; the recovery greater than 98%. Conclusion: The developed HPLC method can determine curcumin in turmeric powder and turmeric - honey ball pills. Key words: Curcumin, turmeric powder, turmeric-honey ball pills, quantitative determination, HPLC