Research Article
Analysis of Caffeine in Kola Nut Extracts by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
Author(s): Azzah Alshehri*, Hassan Alwael, Saleh Bahaffi and Torki Zughaibi
Kola nut is a perennial tree of the Sterculiaceae family, native to Africa's rainforests. Their caffeine-rich seeds are used as a flavoring in soft drinks. Caffeine belongs to the Xanthines family. It is found in numerous beverages, including coffee and tea. This study used High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC-DAD) to compare methanol and ethanol extracts, estimate the concentration of caffeine extracted at the same conditions and compare it to standard caffeine. Results show that the concentration of caffeine extracted in 10 microliters of methanol is 393.04 ppm, while its concentration in the same amount of ethanol is 331.16 ppm. The concentration of caffeine in methanol is higher than its concentration in ethanol. Thus, the use of methanol to extract caffeine from kola nut seeds is better than ethanol. We recommend further studies for the determination of other compound.. Read More»