Purification and determination of stachyose in Chinese artichoke (Stachys Sieboldii Miq.) by high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) was applied for simultaneous determination of stachyose, sucrose and raffinose in Chinese artichoke (Stachys Sieboldii Miq.). Carbohydrates were separated on a Bondapak NH2 column using a ternary solvent mixture of methanol–acetonitrile–water (55:25:20, v/v/v) as mobile phase. Two different crafts (method 1 and method 2) for extraction and purification of stachyose in Chinese artichoke tubers were detailed and evaluated. Method 1 can meet the purpose of quantification and method 2 is appropriate for the purpose of purification. The content of stachyose in dry tubers was determined to be 236.0 mg/g (from method 1) and the purity of the extracted stachyose flour was calculated to be 87.34% (from method 2), respectively. The analytical method fulfills all the standard requirements of linearity, accuracy and precision. Therefore, it is suitable for purification and routine quantification of stachyose in Chinese artichoke.