Abstract: Collagen fiber cross-linked by glutaraldehyde was used as adsorbent for separation of rutin and quercetin. The results showed that rutin and quercetin were mainly absorbed by the adsorbent through hydrogen bonding in pure ethanol, while through hydrophobic interaction in water. The rutin-quercetin mixture could be separated on the column of collagen fiber adsorbent by stepwise elution of 90% ethanol and 70% ethanol, and their recovery was 96.70% and 101.47%, respectively. In addition, the separation capability of collagen fiber adsorbent was not obviously reduced after 5 times of repeated applications. Therefore, the collagen fiber adsorbent can be used for separation of rutin and quercetin mixture.

Key words: collagen fiber, adsorbent, rutin, quercetin, chromatographic separation