ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:To screen decolorizing agents suitable for the extracts from the fruit and stem of Schisandra chinen-sis. METHODS:HPLC was adopted to determine the contents of 4 kinds of lignans(schizandrin,schisandrol B,deoxyschizandrin and γ-schizandrin) in the extract solution from the fruit and stem of S. chinensis which was treated with 8 kinds of decolorizing agents (activated clay,activated carbon,diatomite,calcium bentonite,kaolin,activated aluminium oxide,magnesium oxide,at-tapulgite clay),and the decolourization rates of the samples of the fruit and stem of S. chinensis and the retention rates of lignans in such samples were calculated respectively. RESULTS:The above-mentioned decolorizing agents were arranged in order as fol-lows respectively based on the decolourization effects on the extract solution from the fruit and stem of S. chinensis:attapulgite clay>activated carbon>activated aluminium oxide>kaolin>magnesium oxide>diatomite>calcium bentonite>activated clay,and activated carbon>diatomite>attapulgite clay>magnesium oxide>kaolin>activated aluminium oxide>activated clay>calcium ben-tonite. The attapulgite clay and activated carbon have the best decolourization effects on the extracts from the fruit and stem of S. chinensis,with the decolourization rates of 60.47% and 69.24% respectively,and the retention rates of schizandrin,schisandrol B,deoxyschizandrin and γ-schizandrin were 77.43%,77.73%,77.07%,77.53%,and 72.18%,70.17%,70.32%,70.28%,re-spectively. CONCLUSIONS:Among the 8 decolorizing agents,attapulgite clay and activated carbon have the best decolourization effects on the extract solution from the fruit and stem of S. chinensis.