Investigation of targeted bioactive compounds in selected chinese herbal liquors by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS

• HPLC-MS/MS analysis of 24 bioactive compounds in herbal liquors (LOD 0.1–50 ng/mL). • Concentrations in 41 samples spanned 0.000868–155 mg/L; 66% contained 3–8 components. • A core/multi-source marker strategy enables robust product authentication. • A novel three-tier quality grading system is proposed for herbal liquors. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 24 active constituents (including dihydromyricetin, rutin, glycyrrhizic acid, etc.) in herbal liquors, which are globally consumed but lacks systematic research on its composition and content. Method validation demonstrated limits of detection (LOD) of 0.1–50ng/mL, intra-day precision (RSD)<6.32%, and recovery rates of 88.7–99.4%. Analysis of 41 commercial samples revealed component concentrations spanning 0.000868–155mg/L, with 66% containing 3–8 active ingredients and exhibiting distinct compositional gradients. This study proposes a three-tier quality control (QC) system for herbal liquor based on an integration of traditional compatibility theory and modern demand stratification. The valuable information regarding the concentrations of these bioactive constituents in herbal liquor is crucial for quality assessment and may serve as guidance for the development of new herbal products.