ABSTRACT
Objective: To isolate the chemical constituents newly produced in processing of Polygonati Rhizoma and to analyze the content changes during its processing. Methods: Two new chemical constituents were isolated from the processed Polygonati Rhizoma by using chemical extraction and identified by LC-MS. Then HPLC analysis was performed to analyze the content changes of the two newly produced constituents in three species of wine-processed Polygonati Rhizoma during different processing periods. The contents of the two compounds in 15 batches of commercially available wine-processed Polygonati Rhizoma were determined. The HPLC was performed on a Zorbax SB-C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with methanol-water (8:92) as the mobile phase at 1.0 mL/min, detection wavelength was 280 nm, and column temperature at 45°C. Results: The newly produced chemical constituents were 2, 3-dihydro-3, 5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one (DDMP) and 5-hydryoxymethyl-furfural (5-HMF). The content of DDMP in Polygonatum cyrtonema increased to the top when processed to 24 h and then decreased. The content of 5-HMF was increased gradually throughout the processing. The two chemical constituents were found in the three kinds of wine-processed Polygonati Rhizoma. In the 15 batches of commercially available Polygonati Rhizoma, the range of DDMP in 13 batches was from 1.395% to 5.265%, and the range of 5-HMF in 14 batches was from 0.079% to 0.708%. Moreover, the contents of the two constituents in the three kinds of wine-processed Polygonati Rhizoma (16 h) were within the above ranges. Conclusion: The contents of the two chemical constituents in Polygonati Rhizoma change with the processing time. Therefore, these results could provide the basis for making the quality standard and defining the processing time endpoint of Polygonati Rhizoma.