Ricinoleic and oleic acids are classified as unsaturated omega-9 fatty acids. Ricinoleic acid naturally occurring fatty acid in the
mature castor plant (Ricinus communis L.) and constitutes about 90% of castor oil components while oleic acid is the most common
fatty acid in nature and its triglycerides comprise the majority of olive oil (Olea europaea L.). Fixed oils methyl ester are often
quantified by gas chromatography (GC) technique. In this work, a new, simple, low-cost, rapid, specific, precise and accurate highperformance
thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was developed and validated according to ICH guidelines for the routine
analysis of ricinoleic acid and oleic acid methyl esters in pure castor and olive oils and their formulations. Oil methyl esters were
analyzed by GC, HPLC and HPTLC techniques as comparative analyses. Results obtained by the HPTLC method were statistically
compared with those obtained by the reported GC and HPLC methods. For the proposed procedure, linearity, limit of detection, limit
of quantification and recovery were found to be satisfactory. It could be concluded that proposed HPTLC technique can be used as
alternative method for the quality control of the raw materials as well as formulations containing castor and olive oils calculated as
ricinoleic and oleic acids respectively as it is simple, cost-safe, rapid and specific.
Keywords
HPTLC, validation, castor oil, olive oil, fatty acid methyl ester