Abstract: An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 17 amino acids in Chinese wolfberry fruit and pollen was proposed using high performance cation exchange chromatography (HPCEC) with post-column derivatization. The results showed that the total content of 17 amino acids determined in dry Chinese wolfberry fruit was between 7.788% and 8.820%, including 8 essential amino acids accounting for 28.9%－30.0% of total amino acids and semi-essential amino acids accounting for 4.5%－4.8%. The total amino acid content of fresh Chinese wolfberry fruit was between 1.960% and 2.036%, in which essential amino acids were 29.2%－30.3 % and semi-essential amino acids approximately 5.2%. Chinese wolfberry pollen contained 21.62%－22.08% of total amino acids, of which essential amino acids accounted for 37.9%, and semi-essential amino acids for approximately 4.9%.

Key words: ion exchange chromatography, post-column derivatization, Chinese wolfberry pollen, amino acids