Development of liquid chromatography/ultraviolet and evaporating light scattering detector platform for simultaneous quantification of ginsenosides

Ginsenosides, the primary bioactive components in ginseng, offer various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, anti-osteoporosis, and neuroprotective effects. For consistent product quality and better understanding of these effects, accurate quantification of ginsenosides is essential. Although liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS) can identify up to 200 ginsenosides, it is costly, complex, and requires specialized personnel. In contrast, liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet (UV) or evaporative light scattering detectors (ELSD) is more accessible but typically limited to quantifying no more than 24 ginsenosides. In this study, we developed an LC/UV-ELSD platform that enables the simultaneous quantification of 41 ginsenosides in a single run—38 quantified by UV and 3 by ELSD. The platform demonstrated excellent reproducibility (RSD: 0.341–2.653 %) and sensitivity, with detection limits as low as 0.073 µg/mL for UV and 5–10 µg/mL for ELSD. Application to ginseng samples showed total ginsenoside concentrations of 39.54 ± 10.72 mg/g in field-cultivated roots, 103.68 ± 14.41 mg/g in wild-simulated leaves, and 37.02 ± 5.52 mg/g in wild-simulated roots. Quantification results closely matched those from LC/MS analysis, with a difference of less than 10 %. Our LC/UV-ELSD platform offers a simple, cost-effective, and reliable solution for comprehensive ginsenoside analysis and is well suited for both research and industry use in quality control and functional evaluation of ginseng products.