A comparative study on chemical components of Longdan before and after processing

Objective: To provide the basic data for discussing the correlation between the processing method and the efficacy of Longdan by analyzing the changes in contents of inorganic components and organic components before and after the preparing process of Longdan. Methods: Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry( ICP- AES) after microwave digestion was used to determine the inorganic components [boron( B),barium( Ba),calcium( Ca),cobalt( Co),chromium( Cr),copper( Cu),lithium( Li); magnesium( Mg),sodium( Na),nickel( Ni),strontium( Sr),zinc( Zn) ],and liquid chromatography- mass spectrometry( LC- MS) was used to determine the organic components( sweroside,gentiopicroside,swertiamarin and loganic acid) in crude Longdan and its processed products. Results: The contents of toxic elements( Cr and Zn) were reduced,while contents of most of the other elements were all increased after processing. The sequence of sweroside level in Longdan and its processed products was as follows: crude sample wine- processed reference control vinegar- processed salt water- processed products,while the levels of gentiopicroside,swertiamarin and loganic acid in Longdan followed in the order:crude sample reference control wine- processed vinegar- processed salt water- processed products. The correlation analysis of chemical components indicated that there was significant relationship between contents of the four organic components and the inorganic components,especially inorganic components of increased contents. Conclusion: There were noticeable changes in the contents of chemical components in processed samples compared with Longdan without processing,and there was great relevance between inorganic components and organic components.