Effect of Different Origin Processing on Quality of Gastrodia elata

Purpose To explore the effect of different origin processing on the effective components content in Gastrodia elata.

Methods High-performance liquid chromatography and ultra high performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) were used, and combined with multivariate statistical analysis methods, the differences in components of G. elata processed by various methods were analyzed, and the changes in the content of gastrodin and other five components based on the analysis results were measured.

Results Based on the high-resolution mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns, six major differential components in G. elata processed by various methods were identified, and these components primarily belong to the gastrodin and parishin. Among all processing treatments, the highest total effective component content, 42.76 mg/g, was observed in the G. elata samples that were soaked in a 1 g/L sodium metabisulfite solution (SMS) before boiling to denaturation. With the increase in the mass concentration of SMS, the total effective component content of the samples initially increased first and then decreased. When the mass concentration of SMS exceeded 6 g/L, the residual amount of sulfur dioxide might exceed the limit standards, and a transformation of the parishin components occurred during the processing.

Conclusion In the different origin processing methods of G. elata, appropriate dosage can reduce the loss of effective components contents, and steaming is better than boiling. Furthermore, direct contact between G. elata and water should be minimized as much as possible during the processing, and steaming or boiling should be in time. The results elucidate the effect of processing methods on the quality of G. elata, providing a theoretical basis for quality control in the origin processes of G. elata from the perspectives of medicinal material quality and safety.