Evaluate the Quality of Tagetes ercta Petal by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

In order to evaluate the quality of Tagetes ercta petals, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used for obtaining vibrational spectra of the petals of Tagetes ercta. Compared with the spectra of petals and lutein, the result showed the spectra in the range of 1500~1000 cm^-1 was very similar. By researched the absorption peaks at 1152 cm^-1, 1095 cm^-1, 1050 cm^-1, 1023 cm^-1 in the spectra of petals were originated from lutein. So the relative absorption strength of the four peaks could reflected the content of lutein in the petals of Tagetes ercta. The results showed FTIR spectroscopy can provide valuable information about the lutein in the petals of Tagetes ercta. It could be used as a reference method for evaluate the quality of Tagetes ercta petals.