Determination of Some Water-soluble Compounds in Saffron Samples by Optimized Dispersive Liquid-liquid Microextraction Followed by Gas Chromatography-mass Spectrometry

Abstract

In this study, the combined method of solvent extraction (SE) and dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction (DLLME) has been used in order to effectively separate and concentrate saffron components. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze the extracted compounds in terms of the nature and quantity of constituents. Also, the response surface method (RSM) was used to optimize the effective experimental factors. The DLLME optimal conditions for extracting and analyzing the compounds were 40 µL of chloroform as an extractant, 0.51 mL of methanol as a dispersant, and 0.12 g of sodium chloride at an operating temperature of 50 °C. Under optimal conditions, the extracted compounds showed a wide linear dynamic range (LDRs) from 10 to 1000 mgL-1, with high determination coefficients (R2) from 0.9991 to 0.9999. The detection limits (LODs) of these compounds were between 5.35 and 25.00 mgL-1. Also, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the method were obtained in the range of 6.5 to 8.41%. The enrichment factors (EFs) were obtained in the range of 177-250, which indicates a significant amplification of the signal. The proposed method is simple, fast and efficient and is an excellent option for researchers who intend to isolate and study the delicate compounds in saffron.