Discrimination of Panax ginseng Roots Cultivated in different areas in Korea using HPLC-ELSD and Principal Component Analysis

In order to distinguish the cultivation area of Panax ginseng, principal component analysis (PCA) using quantitative and qualitative data acquired from HPLC was carried out. A new HPLC method coupled with evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD) was developed for the simultaneous quantification of ten major ginsenosides, namely Rh₁, Rg₂, Rg₃, Rg₁, Rf, Re, Rd, Rb₂, Rc, and Rb₁ in the root of P. ginseng C. A. Meyer. Simultaneous separations of these ten ginsenosides were achieved on a carbohydrate analytical column. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-water-isopropanol, and acetonitrile-waterisopropanol using a gradient elution. Distinct differences in qualitative and quantitative characteristics for ginsenosides were found between the ginseng roots produced in two different Korean cultivation areas, Ganghwa and Punggi. The ginsenoside profiles obtained via HPLC analysis were subjected to PCA. PCA score plots using two principal components (PCs) showed good separation for the ginseng roots cultivated in Ganghwa and Punggi. PC1 infl uenced the separation, capturing 43.6% of the variance, while PC2 affected differentiation, explaining 18.0% of the variance. The highest contribution components were ginsenoside Rg₃ for PC1 and ginsenoside Rf for PC2. Particularly, the PCA score plot for the small ginseng roots of six-year old, each of which was light than 147 g fresh weight, showed more distinct discrimination. PC1 infl uenced the separation between different sample sets, capturing 51.8% of the variance, while PC2 affected differentiation, also explaining 28.0% of the variance. The highest contribution component was ginsenoside Rf for PC1 and ginsenoside Rg₂ for PC2. In conclusion, the HPLC-ELSD method using a carbohydrate column allowed for the simultaneous quantification of ten major ginsenosides, and PCA analysis of the ginsenoside peaks shown on the HPLC chromatogram would be a very acceptable strategy for discrimination of the cultivation area of ginseng roots.