Qualitative and quantitative comparative analysis of fatty acids in Cordyceps sinensis from different regions of Yushu prefecture of Qinghai Province / 中国药学杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To establish a one-step esterification derivative analysis method for fatty acids in Cordyceps sinensis. and analyze and compare the composition and content of fatty acids of 12 samples from five counties of Yushu prefecture of Qinghai province. METHODS: Qualitative and quantitative analysis of fatty acids was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in combination with comparison to reference substances, then the data was compared. RESULTS: Thirteen kinds of fatty acids of C14-C20 were found with a total amount of 79.81 - 160.20 mg · g-1. For a same sample, palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid were the three kinds of fatty acids with the highest contents, the total content of which accounted for 92.81% -95.66% of the total 13 fatty acids. The proportion of unsaturated fatty acid was much higher than that of saturated fatty acids, and the ratio of UFA/SFA was 4.23-6.63. The fatty acids of 18 carbon and 16 carbon were the component with the highest amount and content, and the ratio of C18/C16 ranged from 4.04 to 6.19. Furthermore, the composition of the 13 fatty acids was basically consistent, while the content and proportion of the fatty acids varied greatly in samples from different origins. CONCLUSION: The method of fatty acids determination in Cordyceps sinensis set up by this research is simple, accurate, and reproducible, which is suitable for the fatty acids analysis in natural Cordyceps sinensis. The qualitative and quantitative data of the fatty acids could provide references for better recognition of the value of Cordyceps sinensis and further studies on its quality control.