Application of the MSPD technique for the HPLC analysis of rutin in Sambucus nigra L.: the linear correlation of the matrix solid-phase dispersion process.

This paper presents possibilities of estimating the true value of an analyte concentration in a plant material by means of the matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) based on the law of the partition process and on the properly adapted equations associated with this process. This idea has been developed for analysis of rutin amount in Sambucus nigra L. (elderberry). The effects of experimental variables, such as the mass ratio of sorbent to plant matrix and buffer pH, have been studied. Rutin amounts estimated using MSPD were verified with the amounts obtained by employing pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). To obtain the true value of rutin concentration in elderberry, the MSPD process should be carried out in the conditions for which the dependence between the reciprocal of the analyte yield and sorbent mass/plant mass ratio is linear. Rutin yield estimated by MSPD in such conditions equal 2.90% w/w and is almost the same as the amount obtained by PLE (2.88% w/w). The results show that PLE, which recently has been more and more frequently used in the analysis of herb material and which requires the application of expensive PLE equipment, can be replaced by the relatively cheap and effective MSPD process.