Analysis of Flavonoids in Concentrated Pomegranate Extracts by HPLC with Diode Array Detection

Three flavonoid compounds - quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol - were analyzed from two commercially available concentrated pomegranate extracts produced in Turkey and Italy, respectively. The samples were freeze-dried and hydrolyzed by 0.4 M hydrochloric acid in 50% ethanol at $80^{\circ}C$. HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) with DAD (diode array detection) at a wavelength of 260 nm was used for the detection of the three flavonoids. The detection limits of the three compounds were in hundreds of picograms and the signal-to-noise ratio ranged from 4 to 5: quercetin: >308 pg, s/n=4.0; luteolin: >262 pg, s/n=4.5; kaempferol: >688 pg, s/n=5.0. Quercetin, but not luteolin and kaempferol, was detected in the both pomegranate extracts. The concentrations of quercetin were $49.7\;{\mu}g/g$ and $27.7\;{\mu}g/g$ in the two pomegranate extracts made in Turkey and Italy, respectively.