Quantitative analysis of ginger components in commercial products using liquid chromatography with electrochemical...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacognosy
• Food Science

Background:

• Ginger is widely used for its health benefits, attributed to its bioactive compounds.
• Quantitative analysis of these compounds in commercial products is crucial for quality control and efficacy.
• Existing methods may lack the sensitivity or scope to analyze multiple key ginger components simultaneously.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sensitive analytical method for quantifying eight major ginger components.
• To analyze the levels and ratios of these components in various ginger-containing commercial products.
• To establish a benchmark for ginger product quality assessment.

Main Methods:

• Development of a sensitive reversed-phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) electrochemical array method.
• Validation of the method for sensitivity, including limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ).
• Application of the validated method to quantify eight key ginger compounds in eleven commercial ginger products.

Main Results:

• The developed HPLC method demonstrated high sensitivity, with LODs ranging from 7.3-20.2 pg and LOQs from 14.5-40.4 pg.
• Quantification of eight major ginger components ([6]-gingerol, [8]-gingerol, [10]-gingerol, [6]-shogaol, [8]-shogaol, [10]-shogaol, [6]-paradol, and [1]-dehydrogingerdione) was successfully performed.
• Significant variability was observed in both the absolute levels and the relative ratios of these eight compounds among the eleven analyzed commercial products.

Conclusions:

• A novel, highly sensitive HPLC-electrochemical array method enables precise quantitative analysis of key ginger bioactive compounds.
• Commercial ginger products exhibit considerable heterogeneity in their chemical composition regarding major gingerols, shogaols, and related compounds.
• This variability underscores the need for standardized analytical methods and quality control in the production of ginger-based products to ensure consistent therapeutic or sensory profiles.