Determination and Evaluation of Flavonoids in Hawthorn in China

Hawthorn ( Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge) is a common agricultural product with applications in medicine and food in China. In particular, the flavonoids in hawthorn have important medicinal effects. To quantify the flavonoid contents in hawthorn fruit of different regions in China and scientifically guide the reasonable consumption of hawthorn, 12 flavonoids in hawthorn samples from Shandong (SD), Henan (HN), Shaanxi (SAX), Shanxi (SX), and Jiangsu (JS) were detected by means of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The total flavonoid content in the Henan sample from hawthorn was the highest, at 177.94 μ g · g −1 , and the Jiangsu sample was the lowest at 124.67 μ g · g −1 . Epicatechin was the flavonoid with the highest concentration in samples from all regions, and the average content in Shandong samples reached 73.44 μ g · g −1 . Principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and discriminant analysis (DA) were also performed to evaluate the effect of different growing regions in China on the contents of flavonoids in hawthorn. We found the Jiangsu samples had obvious regional characteristics, and the compositions of (±)-catechin hydrate, epicatechin and phlorizin dihydrate could be used to distinguish hawthorn grown in Jiangsu from the other four producing areas. The results will provide the reference basis for Chinese hawthorn consumers.