Separation of polyphenols and caffeine from the acetone extract of fermented tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) using high-performance countercurrent chromatography

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 20; no. 7; pp. 13216 - 13225
• Main Authors: Choi, Soo Jung, Hong, Yong Deog, Lee, Bumjin, Park, Jun Seong, Jeong, Hyun Woo, Kim, Wan Gi, Shin, Song Seok, Yoon, Kee Dong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 21-07-2015; MDPI
• Subjects: Acetone - chemistry; Caffeine; Caffeine - chemistry; Caffeine - isolation & purification; Camellia sinensis; Camellia sinensis - chemistry; Chromatography; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid - methods; high-performance countercurrent chromatography; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Polyphenols; Polyphenols - chemistry; Polyphenols - isolation & purification; Tea; tea-polyphenols; tea-polyphenols; Camellia sinensis; high-performance countercurrent chromatography
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules200713216

Leaves from Camellia sienensis are a popular natural source of various beverage worldwide, and contain caffeine and polyphenols derived from catechin analogues. In the current study, caffeine (CAF, 1) and three tea polyphenols including (-)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (EGCg, 2), (-)-gallocatechin 3-O-gallate (GCg, 3), and (-)-epicatechin 3-O-gallate (ECg, 4) were isolated and purified by flow-rate gradient high-performance countercurrent chromatography (HPCCC) using a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:9:1:9, v/v). Two hundred milligrams of acetone-soluble extract from fermented C. sinensis leaves was separated by HPCCC to give 1 (25.4 mg), 2 (16.3 mg), 3 (11.1 mg) and 4 (4.4 mg) with purities over 98%. The structures of 1-4 were elucidated by QTOF-MS, as well as 1H- and 13C-NMR, and the obtained data were compared to the previously reported values.