A Green and Rapid High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Ultraviolet Method for Determination of Four Organic Acids in Different Parts of Dandelion With Blue Applicability Grade Index Assessment

Abstract

Dandelion is a functional food that serves both medicinal and dietary purposes, which requires quality control to ensure its safety and efficacy. This study established a rapid high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) method for analyzing four organic acids in different parts of dandelion. After ultrasonic extraction with 40% methanol, samples were analyzed using an Agilent InfinityLab Poroshell 120 EC-C₁₈ column with a mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid aqueous-methanol and detection wavelength at 325 nm. The method completed the analysis in 5 min (2 min for extraction and 3 min for chromatographic analysis). The 4 organic acid standards (caftaric acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and chicoric acid) showed excellent linearity (r > 0.9995), and the average spiked recoveries were 101.38%, 96.85%, 103.94%, and 100.15% (relative standard deviations were 1.00%, 1.00%, 0.97%, and 0.55%), respectively. The total content of 4 organic acids is highest in dandelion flowers (1.355 mg/g dry weight [DW]), followed by stems/leaves (1.182 mg/g DW), and lowest in roots (0.026 mg/g DW). Additionally, to evaluate the environmental impact of both new and reported methods, this study performed an analysis using the blue applicability grade index. The developed methodology obtained the highest score of 80.0, which indicated that the developed HPLC method was most effective and eco-friendly. In conclusion, this method is rapid, accurate, and eco-friendly, which is help to the product development and quality evaluation of dandelion.