Affiliation:
1. New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products Program, University Core Facility for Natural Products & Bioanalysis, Department of Plant Biology Rutgers University New Brunswick New Jersey USA
2. Department of Food Science Rutgers University New Brunswick New Jersey USA
Abstract
AbstractHibiscus sabdariffa has gained increasing attention from consumers as a natural, healthy food ingredient, leading to a myriad of available products, yet there is a lack of understanding of the quality and chemical diversity among commercially available hibiscus products. Here, we conducted a survey on the chemistry of 29 hibiscus products (calyces, beverages, and extracts). UHPLC‐DAD and UHPLC‐QQQ/MS methods with high sensitivity and selectivity were developed to evaluate the chemical profiles pertaining to the sensory attributes (color and taste). Two major anthocyanins (delphinidin‐3‐sambubioside and cyanindin‐3‐sambubioside), eight organic acids, and 23 phenolic acids were identified and quantified in hibiscus market products. The results showed that hibiscus samples contained < 0.001–2.372% of total anthocyanins, 0.073–78.002% of total organic acids, and 0.001–1.041% of total phenolic acids, and demonstrated significant variations in market products. This is the first time that an in‐depth organic acid profiling was conducted on hibiscus products using UHPLC‐QQQ/MS. This method can also be extended to chemical profiling, sensory analysis, quality control, authentication, and standardization of other natural products.