Comparison of second-derivative spectrophotometry and HPLC for determination of amygdalin in wild apricot kernels

Amygdalin is a cyanogenic glucoside found in apricot kernels. To facilitate the exploitation and use of wild apricot resources, it is necessary to be able to rapidly and efficiently determine the amygdalin levels within their kernels. To do so, this paper compares two methods, one based on second-derivative UV spectrophotometry and the other on highperformance reversed-phase liquid chromatography (HPLC). The second-derivative spectrophotometry method effectively eliminates background noise and is straightforward to perform while retaining the accuracy of the HPLC method. It is likely to be a useful tool for the large-scale determination of amygdalin concentrations in wild apricot kernels and press cake.