Objective To optimize the processing technology for ginger-steamed Sharen (Amomi Fructus, AF) kernels and establish UPLC fingerprints before and after ginger-steaming. Methods Using the contents of volatile oil, bornyl acetate, extracts, 6-gingerol, vanillic acid, epicatechin, and quercitrin as evaluation indicators, the combined AHP-entropy weight method composite weighting method was employed to determine the weight coefficients of each indicator. Combined with the Box-Behnken design-response surface methodology (BBD-RSM), the effects of ginger juice dosage, moistening duration, steaming duration, and drying temperature on the ginger-steaming process of AF kernels were investigated to determine the optimal process parameters. UPLC fingerprints of AF kernels and ginger-steamed AF kernels were established and imported into the “Traditional Chinese Medicine Chromatographic Fingerprint Similarity Evaluation System” (2012 edition) for pattern analysis. Chemometrics was used to compare the differences before and after processing. Results The optimal processing conditions for ginger-steamed AF kernels were determined as follows: ginger juice dosage 15%, moistening duration 3 h, steaming duration 38 min, drying temperature 60 ℃. Comparative analysis of the fingerprints before and after processing identified two differential components, which were ranked by variable importance projection (VIP) value as peak 6 (vanillic acid) > peak 8. Conclusion The optimized processing technology of ginger-steamed AF kernels is stable, reliable and reproducible. The method of UPLC fingerprint combined with chemometrics to screen quality difference markers before and after processing is simple and convenient, which can provide a scientific reference for the quality control and evaluation of ginger-steamed AF kernels.

ginger-steamed Amomi Fructus kernels  /  analytic hierarchy process  /  entropy weight method  /  Box-Behnken design-response surface methodology  /  processing technology  /  fingerprint  /  vanillic acid