High Speed with High Resolution Analysis of Gingerol and Shogaol in Ginger

Ginger is not only used as a spice, but has also been used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine since ancient times. Investigation into the efficacy of ginger has been attracting a lot of attention in recent years, and the use of ginger in health foods has seen great increases.
Fig. 1 shows the structures of 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol. Homologs of both gingerol and shogaol exist, and in the case of gingerol, these include 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol, with 6-gingerol the most abundant found in ginger. Gingerol is converted to shogaol during the dehydration reaction caused by heating, but the content levels of these constituents vary depending on the type of ginger.