Fingerprint analysis of polysaccharides from different Ganoderma by HPLC combined with chemometrics methods

•HPLC fingerprints were established to distinguish Ganoderma polysaccharides.•HCA and PCA of polysaccharide hydrolyzates could identify different Ganoderma.•Mono- and oligo-saccharides of hydrolyzates were monitored simultaneously by HPLC.•The polysaccharides may be extracted handily under ultrasonic-assisted condition.•The method can be applied to quality control of Ganoderma and their products. A fingerprint analysis method has been developed for characterization and discrimination of polysaccharides from different Ganoderma by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with chemometrics means. The polysaccharides were extracted under ultrasonic-assisted condition, and then partly hydrolyzed with trifluoroacetic acid. Monosaccharides and oligosaccharides in the hydrolyzates were subjected to pre-column derivatization with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone and HPLC analysis, which will generate unique fingerprint information related to chemical composition and structure of polysaccharides. The peak data were imported to professional software in order to obtain standard fingerprint profiles and evaluate similarity of different samples. Meanwhile, the data were further processed by hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis. Polysaccharides from different parts or species of Ganoderma or polysaccharides from the same parts of Ganoderma but from different geographical regions or different strains could be differentiated clearly. This fingerprint analysis method can be applied to identification and quality control of different Ganoderma and their products.