In the quest to find novel flavor ingredients from nature, powerful equipment that can produce and concentrate fractions derived from natural extracts is essential. Conventionally, many steps of fractionation and evaluation are necessary until a compound is obtained at the purity required for structural analysis.
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (IFF) has developed a state of the art fractionation process using the most modern equipment for this purpose. Key components of this system are the Sepbox® instrument made by Sepiatec GmbH (Germany) and the Genevac® HT-24 (Genevac Ltd., UK). The Sepbox allows for two dimensional, preparative scale fractionation of natural products using high performance liquid chromatography – solid phase extraction (HPLC-SPE). In sequential HPLC-SPE / HPLC-SPE steps individual components are isolated from complex mixtures. The Sepbox automates all of these stages