RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE:To establish a method for the main active components in Citrus chacheiensis with different storage time (1-19 years). METHODS:HPLC was conducted to determine the content of hesperidin:the column was Diamonsil C18 with mobile phase of methanol-acetic acid-water(35∶4∶61,V/V/V)at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min,detection wavelength was 283 nm,col-umn temperature was 25 ℃,and the injection volume was 5 μl;the contents of nobiletin and tangeretin:the column was Diamon-sil C18 with mobile phase of water-methanol(gradient elution)at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min,detection wavelength was 326 nm,col-umn temperature was 25 ℃,and the injection volume was 10 μl;and the content of synephrine:the column was Diamonsil C18 with mobile phase of methanol-potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution(taking 0.6 g potassium dihydrogen phosphate,1.0 g sodi-um dodecyl sulfate,1 ml glacial acetic acid dissolved to 1 000 ml)(65∶35,V/V)at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min,detection wavelength was 275 nm,column temperature was 25 ℃,and the injection volume 20 μl. RESULTS:The linear range was 500-4 500 ng for hesperidin(r=0.999 8),38.816-388.16 ng for nobiletin(r=0.999 6),19.936-199.36 ng for tangeretin(r=0.999 5)and 640-2 560 ng for synephrine(r=0.999 9);RSDs of precision,stability and reproducibility tests were lower than 3%;recoveries were 96.42%-102.75%(RSD=2.54%,n=6),97.42%-99.95%(RSD=2.46%,n=6),99.26%-106.19%(RSD=2.31%,n=6) and 97.47%-99.76%(RSD=1.95%,n=6),respectively. CONCLUSIONS:The method is simple and stable with good reproducibility, and can be used for the contents determination of main active components in C. chacheiensis with different storage time. Pericarpi-um citri“the older the better”may be irrelevant to the change of the contents of the above-mentioned 4 active components,and it is speculated related to the release of volatile oil content to ease dryness.