Preparative separation of glycoalkaloids α-solanine and α-chaconine by centrifugal partition chromatography

The main glycoalkaloids of a commercial potato cultivar, α-chaconine and α-solanine, were extracted from sprouts of Solanum tuberosum cv. Pompadour by a mixture of MeOH/H2O/CH3COOH (400/100/50, v/v/v). In these conditions, 2.8 ± 0.62 g of crude extract were obtained from 50 g of fresh sprouts and the total glycoalkaloid content was determined by analytical HPLC at 216.5 mg/100 g. α-Chaconine and α-solanine were separated in a preparative scale using centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC). In a solvent system composed of a mixture of ethyl acetate/butanol/water (15/35/50, v/v/v), α-chaconine (54 mg) and α-solanine (15 mg) were successfully isolated from the crude extract in one step of purification. The purity of isolated compounds was determined to be higher than 92% by HPLC analysis.

► α-Solanine and α-chaconine were extracted from Solanum tuberosum cv. Pompadour.
► CPC was used to develop an efficient preparative separation procedure.
► The efficiency of the separation depended on the alkaloid.
► The highest purity and yield were achieved for α-chaconine.