ABSTRACT
Objective:To establish the determination methods for 5-HMF during the processing of polygonatums by HPLC and GC-MS. Methods:The contents of 5-HMF during the processing of three species of polygonatum were determined by HPLC and GC-MS, and the correlation curve of the processing time and the contents was established to study the change regularity of 5-HMF during the processing. Results:The contents of 5-HMF in the three species of polygonatum processed by steamed and stewed methods reached the peak value in 16h or so. The 5-HMF contents in the three species of polygonatum showed significant difference in the order of Polygo-natum cyrtonema Hua>Polygonatum kingianum Coll. et Hemsl. >Polygonatum. sibiricum Red. After the processing, the content of 5-HMF was increased, and the increase in stewed method was more notable than that in steamed method. Conclusion: The study pro-vides theoretical basis for the further study on the processing of polygonatum.