An Insight on Salting-out Assisted Liquid-Liquid Extraction for Phytoanalysis

IntroductionSalting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SALLE) is a technique that, although simple and not requiring any complex equipment, is very powerful and versatile. It has obtained growing interest in bioanalysis particularly when combined with chromatographic techniques. ObjectivesHerein, fennel seeds (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) were used as a case-study to show the application of SALLE in phytochemical analysis. Material and MethodsSALLE combined with HPLC-UV-MS/MS and GC-MS. ResultsBy HPLC-UV-MS/MS analysis of the organic extract it was possible to identify various phenolic compounds, including quercetin derivatives, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid. The main compounds identified by GC-MS were estragole, fenchone, anisaldehyde, anethole, benzaldehyde, camphor and apiole. ConclusionHPLC and GC analysis of the extracts showed that it is possible to isolate, in only one step, a wide range of compounds with distinct properties, allowing a detailed phytochemical analysis. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SALLE) aiming phytochemical analysis. Around fifty relevant compounds identified by LC-MS and GC-MS. Extraction was performed in one optimized SALLE step at room temperature.