Binary HPLC-diode array detector and HPLC-evaporative light-scattering detector fingerprints of methanol extracts from the selected sage (Salvia) species.

This study is focused on an important family of the sage (Salvia) species, with Salvia officinalis L. having a long-established position in European traditional medicine. Binary fingerprints (chromatographic profiles) of six different sage species were compared using HPLC coupled with two different detectors: the diode-array detector and the evaporative light-scattering detector. Advantages of using binary fingerprinting over single-detector fingerprinting are demonstrated and discussed, with selected examples. Experimental data are provided for a comparison of the chemical composition of sage samples originating from two harvesting seasons (2007 and 2008). A number of phytochemical standards (i.e., certain phenolic acids, flavonoids, and coumarin) were used that allowed identification and semiquantitative estimation of these particular compounds in the analyzed methanol extracts.