Nutrient Composition Analysis and Quality Comprehensive Evaluation of Lotus Root in 10 Producing Areas

The purpose of this study is to explore the content characteristics of main nutrient components in lotus root from different producing areas and to establish a comprehensive quality evaluation system for the quality of lotus root. The contents of crude protein, starch, fat, crude fiber, soluble total sugar, total flavonoids, total polyphenols, vitamin C, minerals and amino acids in 12 lotus root samples from 10 places of origin were determined. The results showed that the contents of starch (136.87 g/kg), fat (7.26 g/kg), total polyphenols (155.5 mg/kg), total amino acids (15.75%), iron (50.7 mg/kg), zinc (3.52 mg/kg) and potassium (407 mg/100 g) in lotus root of Honghe in Yunnan were the highest. The contents of total soluble sugar (71.35 mg/g) and crude fiber (69.84 g /kg) in Lotus root of Heze in Shandong were the highest. The highest contents of V_C, flavonoids, crude protein, phosphorus, calcium and selenium were found in Lotus root from Huaian, Jiangsu (67.53 mg/100 g), Meishan, Sichuan (117.92 mg/kg), Jingzhou, Hubei (38.4 g/kg), Sanmenxia, Henan (61.3 mg/100 g), Fuping 1, Shaanxi (323 mg/kg) and Xiangtan, Hunan(9.5 μg/kg). The nutrient components and comprehensive quality of lotus root were evaluated by factor analysis and systematic cluster analysis. Factor analysis showed that the evaluation indexes of lotus root quality could be expressed by two factors, and the contents of starch, potassium, vitamin C, selenium, iron and zinc could be used to measure the quality of lotus root. The result of comprehensive evaluation showed that the quality of lotus root from Honghe in Yunnan province was the best, while the quality of lotus root from Fuping 3 in Shaanxi province, Huai'an in Jiangsu province and Jingzhou in Hubei province were poor.