Abstract
Quality control of Chinese herbal tea remains a challenge due to our poor knowledge of their complex chemical profile. This study aims to investigate the chemical composition of one of the best-selling and famous brand of beverage in China, Wanglaoji Herbal Tea (WLJHT), via a full component quantitative analysis. In this paper, a total of thirty-four representative constituents were identified or tentatively characterized using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Moreover, the quantitative analyses of fourteen constituents were performed by high performance liquid chromatography with a triple quadruple tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method and saccharide compositions of WLJHT were also quantitatively determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) on a Hilic column, separately. Using multiple chromatographic techniques presented a good precision, sensitivity, repeatability and stability, and was successfully applied to analyze 16 batches of WLJHT samples. Therefore, it would be a reliable and useful approach for the quality control of WLJHT.
Highlights
Traditional Chinese herbal tea, developed by Chinese people during the long-term for disease prevention and health care under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine, has been approved as an intangible cultural heritage by the Chinese government in 2006 [1,2,3].Wanglaoji Herbal Tea (WLJHT), founded in the Daoguang eighth year of Qing Dynasty (Ad 1828), is the earliest Cantonese herbal tea and recognized as the ancestor of herbal tea
The aim of this study is to identify and quantify of the major constituents both the small molecules and saccharides in WLJHT, using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with quadrupole tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS), and high performance liquid chromatography equipped with evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD). 16 batches of samples were analyzed and the results were expected to provide comprehensive information for the quality control of WLJHT
The established method demonstrated acceptable accuracy with spike recovery of 96.75%–105.78% for all analytes; and the RSDs of the peak areas for 14analytes detected within 24 h were lower than 4.87%. These results indicated that the developed UPLC-MS method was efficient, accurate and sensitive for simultaneous quantitative determination of the 14 constituents in WLJHT
Summary
Wanglaoji Herbal Tea (WLJHT), founded in the Daoguang eighth year of Qing Dynasty (Ad 1828), is the earliest Cantonese herbal tea and recognized as the ancestor of herbal tea. It is consisted of seven traditional Chinese medicines (Chinese Mesona, PlumeriaeFlos, LoniceraeJaponicaeFlos, ChrysanthemiFlos, Prunellae Spica, Microctis Folium and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), and widely used for heat-clearing, detoxicating, engender liquid and allay thirst. Modern pharmacological studies have proven its protective effects on liver damage [2], improvement of cytotoxic T Lymphocytes activity in spleen [4], amelioration on lipids metabolism [5] and glucometabolism [6], and enhancement of immune functions of restrain-stress mice [7]. In our previous phytochemical study [8], several polyphenol constituents as phenolic acids and flavonoids were separated and structural elucidated from WLJHT.
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