Analysis of gardenia blue in foods by thin-layer chromatography

In the present study, a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method for the analysis of gardenia blue was described. Gardenia blue is obtained from the fruits of Gardenia augusta Merrill or Gardenia jasminoides Ellis. Recently, gardenia blue has frequently been used in Japan as a natural coloring in various foods. However, the structural characterization of gardenia blue components has not been yet clarified and even chromatographic separation of the components has not been reported. Synthetic colors in foods are generally analyzed by TLC; so, we therefore investigated the analysis of gardenia blue in foods with TLC. We established two TLC conditions; reversed phase C-18 TLC using a solvent system of aqueous 0.2% TFA–acetonitrile–ethanol (1:2:3) and TLC on cellulose plate using a solvent system consisting of acetone–3-methyl-1-butanol–water (6:5:5). Both conditions yielded three well-delineated spots with good separation. We applied these separations to the analyses of gardenia blue in coloring matter preparations from different manufacturers and in foods on the market. After the gardenia blue was extracted from the samples with water, the extract was evaporated and the residue was dissolved in water–methanol (1:1). Aliquots of the dissolved solutions were then applied to TLC and their chromatographic behaviors were observed. Each preparation showed characteristic spot patterns depending on the manufacturers. The R_f values of the separated spots when extracted from foods are slightly different from the R_f values of the spots observed for standards, and we were thus able to identify the manufacturers using the spot pattern of gardenia blue. The present study is considered to be useful for the establishment of a method of analysis for gardenia blue in coloring preparations and foods.