Simultaneous Determination of 14 Phenolic Acids and Flavonoids in Huangjiu Based on the Analytical Quality by Design

OBJECTIVE To establish a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector(HPLC-DAD) method based on analytical quality by design(AQbD) for simultaneous determination of 14 phenolic acids and flavonoids in Huangjiu.

METHODS Six critical factors including column temperature and gradient elution program were optimized using definitive screening design(DSD). Quantitative models were established, and the method operable design region was calculated using the Monte Carlo method.

RESULTS Method validation demonstrated good linearity for all analytes(R²≥0.9994), with RSDs for precision, stability, and repeatability all below 2.0%, and average recoveries ranging from 92.3% to 104.7%. The established method was applied to determine polyphenol contents in 10 batches of Huangjiu samples, and the results showed that vanillic acid was present at significantly higher levels than the other polyphenols.

CONCLUSION The developed method is accurate and reliable, providing effective technical support for quality control and health function assessment of Huangjiu.