Antioxidant analysis and quality standardization of Scutellaria baicalensis tablets using multidimensional analytical...

Scutellaria baicalensis Tablets (SBTs), sourced from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, demonstrated notable potential as natural antioxidants for functional-food development. To comprehensively evaluate SBT quality and antioxidant capacity, we developed an integrated analytical workflow combining electronic-transition-theory-driven multi-wavelength concatenation, a binary evaluation system (BES), dual-channel high-performance liquid chromatography-online antioxidant activity coupling (DC-HPLC-OAA), and electrochemical profile integration. First, guided by electronic-transition theory, the multi-wavelength concatenation captured subtle inter-flavonoid variations across several wavelengths, thereby surmounting the constraints of single-wavelength detection. Second, the binary evaluation system, combining S_m and quantitative P_m parameters, provided a multidimensional appraisal of product quality, correlating robustly with key-component levels (e.g., baicalin). Chemometric analysis further confirmed the precision and reliability of S_m and P_m, yielding a triadic framework: "high-dimensional data dimensionality reduction-key component mapping-quality threshold determination." Third, DC-HPLC-OAA systematically screened the antioxidant activities of major flavonoids (baicalin, baicalein, wogonin), whose cumulative capacities were then quantified by electrochemical profile integration. Collectively, this integrated approach established a robust foundation for precise SBT quality control and underscored their promise as natural antioxidant ingredients in functional foods.