Determination of polyphenol components of Korean Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: Contribution to overall antioxidant activity

In order to explore the possibility to process Korean Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (Hwang Gum) to produce a high quality functional food, biologically active substances were analyzed. Four different mixtures of polyphenol components were isolated from the flower, leaf, stem, and root of S. baicalensis Georgi via methanol extraction followed by silica gel column chromatography. The polyphenol components of these mixtures were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) and compared with reported data. Among the 46 characterized components, seven constituents were identified for the first time. The compounds were validated and quantified based on a representative standard from the same group. The antioxidant activity of the polyphenol mixtures of the four tissues was determined. The antioxidant activity of the root was the highest, followed by the leaf, stem and flower.