To provide a scientific evidence for the quality control of Codonopsis Radix, a method was established for determining the content of three free carbohydrates of Codonopsis Radix. The developed method showed good linearity. The calibration curves were linear within the range of 2.312 5-18.500 0 μg for sucrose, 1.500 0-12.000 0 μg for glucose, and 2.000 0-16.000 0 μg for fructose, resgectwely. The recoveries varied between 96.31%-101.8%. The method is simple, accurate and reproducible, and can be used for determining the content of sucrose, glucose and fructose of Codonopsis Radix. The results showed that different cultivation measures had an effect on the content of three free carbohydrates of Codonopsis Radix. According to the content of sucrose, using Zhuanggenling>not using Zhuanggenling. While, not pinching, shelving>not pinching, not shelving>pinching, not shelving>pinching, shelving. According to the content of glucose and fructose, not using Zhuanggenling>using Zhuanggenling. While, pinching, shelving>not pinching, not shelving>not pinching, shelving>pinching, not shelving. In consideration of the differences of sweetness and content of the three free carbohydrates in Codonopsis Radix, we recommend that the content of free carbohydrates could be considered as the marker to evaluate the quality of Codonopsis Radix.
Keywords: Codonopsis Radix; cultivation measures; free carbohydrates; quantitative analysis.
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