SIMULTANEOUS HPLC QUANTIFICATION OF 2 DERMATOTOXINS, 5-METHOXYPSORALEN AND FALCARINOL, IN HEALTHY CELERY

A method for the simultaneous quantification and separation of the dermatotoxins, falcarinol and 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP), in uninfected, commercially available celery is reported. Four methods of plant extraction were compared to determine the most efficient method. The analyses of crude celery extracts employed a Spectra-Physics 8800 series high performance liquid chromatograph equipped with a forward optical scanning detector. The compounds were resolved on an Alltech C-18 5 mm (25 cm x 4.6 mm ID) column preceded by a C-18 guard column. The dermatotoxins were eluted with a linear gradient of 50% methanol and water to 100% methanol in 30 minutes. The concentration of 5-MOP and falcarinol found in commercially available celery was 0.08-0.24 mu g/g and 0.9-20 mu g/g, respectively.