High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography Fingerprint Profile of Rhizome Extracts of Five Important Curcuma Species

The genus Curcuma (Family: Zingiberaceae) has 80 different species. Some of the species have been used world-wide as functional food and traditional medicines. The bright coloured pigments in the rhizome of different Curcuma sp. come mainly from fat soluble polyphenolic compounds known as curcuminoids. It comprises of three different pigments: curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin whose concentration varies from the species to species. A variety of spectrophotometric methods have been used for the quantification of the curcuminoids. However, quantification of the individual curcuminoids is not possible with spectro-photometric methods. Very little information is available on the determination of the individual constituents of curcuminoids using high performance thin layer chromatography. This method has advantages in terms of accuracy, flexibility, parallel analysis of a large number of samples and different modes of development. The present study was undertaken to provide information on the physico-chemical characteristics of individual curcuminoid pigments of five important Curcuma sp. to facilitate their proper extraction, separation and identification of individual phyto-constituents and their further utilization in the crop improvement programme.