Quantitative analyses of ricinoleic acid and ricinine in Ricinus communis extracts and its biopesticides

The quantitative analytical method for the bioactive substance, 3-cyano-4-methoxy-N-methyl-2-pyridone (ricinine) and an index compound, ricinoleic acid in castor plant (Ricinus communis) extract or oil was developed. For the determination of a pyridone alkaloid compound, ricinine, successive cartridge cleanup method combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography was set up with $ENVI-Carb^{TM}$ (0.5 g) and $C_{18}$ SPE cartridges. Accuracy and precision were evaluated through fortification studies of one biopesticide (PE) at 10 and $100mg\;kg^{-1}$. Mean recoveries of ricinine were 98.7 and 96.0 % associated with less than 10 % RSD, respectively. For the determination of ricinoleic acid in castor extract and oil, saponification and methylation were optimized using gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry. Recovery was more than 84.8 % associated with 6.2 % RSD after derivatization procedure. Both methodologies developed were applied to analyze real samples including three castor oil products and six commercially available biopesticides containing R. communis, collected at Korean market. The contents of ricinine and ricinoleic acid in most commercial biopesticides were less than the oil or extract contents indicated by label.