Abstract:

The contents of quercetin and kaempferol in almond kernels (Amygdalus communis L.) from different varieties
were determined by a reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography fitted with a photodiode array detector
(RP-HPLC-PAD) and an Agilent HC-C18 column (5 μm, 250 mm × 4.6 mm i.d.). The mobile phase used was a mixture of
CH3OH-0.4%H3PO4 (55:45, V/V) with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and the detection wavelength was set to 360 nm. There
was a good linear relationship for quercetin in the range of 1–30 μg/mL (r = 0.999 3) and kaempferol in the range of
0.5-40 μg/mL (r = 0.999 8). The average recovery rates for quercetin and kaempferol were 102.0% (RSD = 2.08%, n = 5)
and 102.8% (RSD = 2.21%, n = 5), respectively. This analytical method was simple, rapid, sensitive and accurate, and could
be used to determine quercetin and kaempferol in almond kernels with good repeatability and recovery rate.

Key words: RP-HPLC, PAD, almond (Amygdalus communis L.), quercetin, kaempferol