High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography Densitometric Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Three Phenolic Acids in Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & Perry

A simple, precise, and rapid high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 3 phenolic acids, i.e., gallic acid, caffeic acid, and syringic acid, in the dried buds of Syzygium aromaticum, commonly known as clove. HPTLC was performed on silica gel 60F254 plates with toluene-ethyl acetate-formic acid (8 + 2 + 1) mobile phase and densitometric scanning at 280 nm. The method was validated for selectivity, linearity, precision, and repeatability. Instrumental precision coefficient of variation (CV) was 0.88, 0.93, and 0.98% and repeatability of the method (CV) was 0.76, 0.64, and 0.69% for gallic acid, caffeic acid, and syringic acid, respectively. The linear concentration ranges were 400-3200 ng/spot with a correlation coefficient of 0.993 for gallic acid, 440-3520 ng/spot with a correlation coefficient of 0.994 for caffeic acid, and 400-4000 ng/spot with a correlation coefficient of 0.993 for syringic acid. The average recoveries of gallic acid, caffeic acid, and syringic acid were 96.3, 95.7, and 92.4%, respectively. Gallic acid, caffeic acid, and syringic acid were present at levels of 1.58, 0.06, and 0.05% (w/w), respectively, in S. aromaticum. This method is simple, accurate, precise, and economical and can be used for routine quality control.