Determination of anthocyanins, organic acids, and phenolic acids in hibiscus market products using LC/UV/MS

Hibiscus sabdariffa has gained increasing attention from consumers as a natural, healthy food ingredient, leading to a myriad of available products, yet there is a lack of understanding of the quality and chemical diversity among commercially available hibiscus products. Here, we conducted a survey on the chemistry of 29 hibiscus products (calyces, beverages, and extracts). UHPLC-DAD and UHPLC-QQQ/MS methods with high sensitivity and selectivity were developed to evaluate the chemical profiles pertaining to the sensory attributes (color and taste). Two major anthocyanins (delphinidin-3-sambubioside and cyanindin-3-sambubioside), eight organic acids, and 23 phenolic acids were identified and quantified in hibiscus market products. The results showed that hibiscus samples contained < 0.001-2.372% of total anthocyanins, 0.073-78.002% of total organic acids, and 0.001-1.041% of total phenolic acids, and demonstrated significant variations in market products. This is the first time that an in-depth organic acid profiling was conducted on hibiscus products using UHPLC-QQQ/MS. This method can also be extended to chemical profiling, sensory analysis, quality control, authentication, and standardization of other natural products.