Separation of betalains by gradient high-speed counter-current chromatography

A study on separation of betalain mixture obtained from red beet juice (Beta vulgaris L.) by analytical high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was performed. The extract was obtained by thermal treatment of acidified red beet juice for 30 min in 85 °C. The pigment mixture consisted of betanin/isobetanin as well as their decarboxy- and dehydro-derivatives. The HSCCC process was accomplished in the ‘tail to head’ mode with two polar solvent systems containing salt: BuOH-EtOH-NaClsolution-H2OH3PO4 (1300:700-1000:1300:700:2.5-5.5 (system I), 1300:200-400:1300:700:2.5-4.5 (system II); v/v/v/v/v). The retention of the stationary phase was 73% (system I) and 79% (system II). The mobile phase was pumped at 2 ml/min flow rate. HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS analyses were performed in reversed phase mode for the obtained HSCCC fractions and crude extract. The solvent systems enabled separation of betanin and decarboxy-betanins (system I and II) as well as neobetanin (system II). Additionally, some pure fractions of 17-decarboxy-betanin and 2,17-bidecarboxy-betanin were obtained in system II