Establishment of Analytical Methods for Marker Compounds and Safety Evaluation of Adenophora triphylla and its extract

Jiye Pyeon¹, Yoonjeong Kim¹, Yeong-Eun Yu², Cheol-Jong Jung², Do Sang Lee³, Im-Joung La³, Younghwa Kim^1,*

¹Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, BB21plus project team, Kyungsung University
²Central Research Center, Okchundang Inc.
³Atomy R&D Center

Abstract

This study aimed to establish an analytical method for the use of Adenophora triphylla and its extract using citric acid as a marker compound. The analysis of A. triphylla and its extract revealed citric acid contents of 671.993 mg/100 g and 433.218 mg/100 g, respectively. The analytical method was validated according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) guidelines, and the calibration curve for citric acid standard solution exhibited excellent linearity (R2>0.999). The intra-day and inter-day precision showed low relative standard deviations of 0.564 and 0.809%, respectively. Furthermore, the recovery rate for citric acid ranged from 96.578 to 100.525%, fulfilling the AOAC’s acceptable range, indicating high accuracy. The detection limit for citric acid in this method was 0.002 mg/100 g, and the quantification limit was 0.005 mg/100 g, demonstrating high sensitivity. Additionally, an investigation of potentially harmful compounds in A. triphylla and its extract revealed five compounds that were predicted to be harmful according to the RISCTOX database. However, their actual concentrations were far below the lethal dose 50 (LD50) values, suggesting they are not harmful to the humans. These findings provide foundational data for the quality control of A. triphylla as a food ingredient.