Determination of Caffeine in Coffee Using High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography

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• Introduction
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusion

Introduction

High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) is a very useful analytical technique and requires low sample preparation, here illustrated through the analysis of caffeine in coffee. Only extraction and filtration, through a 0.45 μm PTFE syringe filter, is needed for boiled coffee samples prior analysis. The HPTLC plate was pre-conditioned with the mobile phase, and a TLC-scanner was a used for the quantitation after the chromatographic separation was completed.

Results and Discussion

Caffeine was detected under UV light at 254 nm, hRf = 56, (Figure 1). A four-level calibration curve was constructed and used for quantitation purposes, (Figure 2). Each sample was analyzed in triplicate performed in parallel, a benefit with planar chromatography over both GC and HPLC.

Conclusion

Caffeine can easily be quantitated in different coffee types with minimum sample preparation when using High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography.