HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY DIODE-ARRAY DETECTION OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENTS

High-performance liquid chromatography and photodiode-array detection were applied simultaneously for the separation and identification of the photosynthetic pigments of a plant extract. Using a photodiode-array detector permitted simultaneous recording of the chromatographic analysis at different wavelengths, the contour plots of the chromatograms and the spectra of the pigments separated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Employing these techniques, and on the basis of their spectroscopic characteristics, the following compounds were identified: beta-carotene, lutein, taraxanthin, violaxanthin, neoxanthin and chlorophylls a and b and their respective epimers, chlorophylls a' and b'. The rapidity, specificity, sensitivity and reproducibility of this technique make it particularly suitable for plant pigment analysis.