Secondary metabolites and antioxidant activity of different parts from the medicinal and edible Alpiniae oxyphylla Miq

Alpinia oxyphylla Miq. is widely used in the production of Chinese medicine and food, and its traditional edible parts are mainly seeds, with less exploitation of the non-medicinal parts shells and leaves, resulting in a serious waste of resources. In this study, four batches of plant materials collected from the main producing areas of A. oxyphylla in China, and the chemical components of seed, shell and leaf from medicinal and non-medicinal parts of them were analyzed by UHPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS, essential oil content (EOC) were determined using water vapor distillation, and the total flavonoids content (TFC), total polyphenols content (TPC), total polysaccharides content (TPSC), and antioxidant activities in vitro were evaluated using UV spectrophotometry, the relationship between chemical components and antioxidant activities were analyzed by canonical correlation analysis. The results showed that a total of 1216 metabolites were identified from the three parts of A. oxyphylla , and only 136 metabolites differed between the traditional non-medicinal and medicinal parts, and the non-medicinal parts was superior to the traditional medicinal parts in terms of TPC, TFC, TPSC and in vitro antioxidant activity, only the EOC was lower than that of the seeds, and the in vitro antioxidant activity of the A. oxyphylla was significantly and positively correlated to the content of TFC and TPC in the metabolites. This study showed that the shells and leaves of the non-medicinal parts of A. oxyphylla also have good prospects for development and application, providing a scientific basis for the comprehensive development and utilization of A. oxyphylla . EO: essential oil; TFC:total flavonoid content; TPC:total phenolic acid content; TPSC:total polysaccharide content; CCA:canonical correlation analysis. • A total of 1216 metabolites were detected in A. oxyphylla seeds, seed shells and leaves. • Antioxidant activity of non-medicinal parts of A. oxyphylla is superior to that of medicinal parts. • The non-medicinal parts of A. oxyphylla have good potential for edible and medicinal development. • Total flavonoids are the major contributors to the antioxidant activity of A. oxyphylla .