Improved separation and quantitative performance of 41 ginsenosides using a C30-based LC–DAD–ELSD method

Ginsenosides are important quality markers of Panax ginseng , but their simultaneous quantification remains difficult because many structurally similar compounds are not sufficiently resolved chromatographically. Although LC–MS methods offer broad analyte coverage, their cost and operational complexity limit routine application. Conventional LC methods using DAD or ELSD are more accessible, but their simultaneous quantification capacity has generally remained limited to approximately 22 ginsenosides. Our previous C18-based LC-DAD-ELSD method expanded this coverage to 41 ginsenosides, but insufficient separation among several analytes remained a limitation. In this study, a C30-based LC-DAD-ELSD method was developed to improve chromatographic separation while preserving the broad analyte coverage of the previous platform. Compared with the C18-based method, the C30 column increased the number of compounds with resolution ≥ 1.5 from 22/41 to 40/41 and reduced peak overlap. Correspondingly, 27 ginsenosides showed reduced LoD and/or LoQ values, with up to five-fold lower LoQ values for selected compounds. Application to cultivated and wild-simulated ginseng samples enabled reliable quantification of 20 ginsenosides and revealed distinct compositional differences among sample types. Collectively, the results support the use of the C30-based LC-DAD-ELSD method as an improved non-MS approach for broad-panel ginsenoside analysis in ginseng matrices.