Abstract: To explore the correlation between the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) content and genuineness of Ophiopogonis Radix (OR).The color was observed under sunlight.The water content was determined by an oven-drying method.An HPLC method was established and used to determine the 5-HMF content.The color of samples powder was determined with a colorimeter.The correlation coefficients of Pearson and Spearman were used to analyze the correlation.The color of surface,section,and powder of OR samples were white,yellowish-white,soil-yellow.The water content was ranged from 5.64% to 6.39%.The 5-HMF content was ranged from the lowest 0.874 1 μg/g to the highest 71.31 μg/g and the difference was obvious,but all of them were lower than 0.02%.The 5-HMF content of OR from Hunan and Hubei province was high and ranged from 18.14 to 71.31 μg/g.The 5-HMF content of OR from Sichuan province was all lower than 10 μg/g.The water content was correlated with the luminance of samples powder.The 5-HMF content in OR produced and processed in Santai County of Sichuan Province was obviously lower than that in Hunan and Hubei Provinces.The 5-HMF content in OR produced in Santai County of Sichuan Province was lower than that in other producing areas,which was presumed to be the characteristic expression of the genuineness of OR.

Key words: Ophiopogonis Radix, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, color, HPLC method, genuineness