Identification of Paracetamol and Caffeine in Jamu Powders Simultaneously Using TLC-Densitometry

Abstract

Paracetamol and caffeine are chemical compounds that are suspected to be illegally added to the traditional herbs claimed as rheumatics drugs. Identification of paracetamol and caffeine has been done on five samples of jamu powder obtained from the Depot Jamu in Surabaya. This study aimed to simultaneously identify paracetamol and caffeine commonly found in traditional medicine one of which is jamu powder using thin-layer chromatography densitometry (TLC-Densitometry). Evaluate the presence of paracetamol and caffeine in the product of jamu was performed by thin layer chromatography with silica gel GF254 and chloroform-ethyl acetate (1:1) as the stationary and mobile phase respectively. The spots on the TLC plate were detected using a UV at 254 nm and the areas were measured by a Camag TLC scanner. The TLC profile demonstrated a good separation of paracetamol, caffein, and others substances that containing in the products. The retardation factor (Rf) of paracetamol and caffeine were 0,42 and 0,26 with a detection limit of 0,0125 µg/spot and 0,05 µg/spot respectively. The simultaneous identification of caffeine and paracetamol by using thin-layer chromatography densitometry revealed that none of the five samples were detected to contain paracetamol and caffeine. Keywords: Simultaneously, Identification, Paracetamol, Caffeine, Jamu Powder, TLC- Densitometry