Identification of the Geographical Origin of Asian Red Pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) Powders Using 1 H NMR Spectroscopy

Geographical discrimination of Asian red pepper powders using 1H NMR spectroscopy and deep learning-based convolution neural networks

This study investigated an innovative approach to discriminate the geographical origins of Asian red pepper powders by analyzing one-dimensional 1H NMR spectra through a deep learning-based convolution neural network (CNN). 1H NMR spectra were collected from 300 samples originating from China, Korea, and Vietnam and used as input data. Principal component analysis - linear discriminant analysis and support vector machine models were employed for comparison. Bayesian optimization was used for hyperparameter optimization, and cross-validation was performed to prevent overfitting. As a result, all three models discriminated the origins of the test samples with over 95 % accuracy. Specifically, the CNN models achieved a 100 % accuracy rate. Gradient-weighted class activation mapping analysis verified that the CNN models recognized the origins of the samples based on variations in metabolite distributions. This research demonstrated the potential of deep learning-based classification of 1H NMR spectra as an accurate and reliable approach for determining the geographical origins of various foods.

Advances in Fingerprint Analysis for Standardization and Quality Control of Herbal Medicines

Herbal drugs or herbal medicines (HMs) have a long-standing history as natural remedies for preventing and curing diseases. HMs have garnered greater interest during the past decades due to their broad, synergistic actions on the physiological systems and relatively lower incidence of adverse events, compared to synthetic drugs. However, assuring reproducible quality, efficacy, and safety from herbal drugs remains a challenging task. HMs typically consist of many constituents whose presence and quantity may vary among different sources of materials. Fingerprint analysis has emerged as a very useful technique to assess the quality of herbal drug materials and formulations for establishing standardized herbal products. Rather than using a single or two marker(s), fingerprinting techniques take great consideration of the complexity of herbal drugs by evaluating the whole chemical profile and extracting a common pattern to be set as a criterion for assessing the individual material or formulation. In this review, we described and assessed various fingerprinting techniques reported to date, which are applicable to the standardization and quality control of HMs. We also evaluated the application of multivariate data analysis or chemometrics in assisting the analysis of the complex datasets from the determination of HMs. To ensure that these methods yield reliable results, we reviewed the validation status of the methods and provided perspectives on those. Finally, we concluded by highlighting major accomplishments and presenting a gap analysis between the existing techniques and what is needed to continue moving forward.

Metabolite Fingerprinting Based on 1H-NMR Spectroscopy and Liquid Chromatography for the Authentication of Herbal Products

Herbal medicines (HMs) are regarded as one of the traditional medicines in health care to prevent and treat some diseases. Some herbal components such as turmeric and ginger are used as HMs, therefore the identification and confirmation of herbal use are very necessary. In addition, the adulteration practice, mainly motivated to gain economical profits, may occur by substituting the high price of HMs with lower-priced ones or by addition of certain chemical constituents known as Bahan Kimia Obat (chemical drug ingredients) in Indonesia. Some analytical methods based on spectroscopic and chromatographic methods are developed for the authenticity and confirmation of the HMs used. Some approaches are explored during HMs authentication including single-component analysis, fingerprinting profiles, and metabolomics studies. The absence of reference standards for certain chemical markers has led to exploring the fingerprinting approach as a tool for the authentication of HMs. During fingerprinting-based spectroscopic and chromatographic methods, the data obtained were big, therefore the use of chemometrics is a must. This review highlights the application of fingerprinting profiles using variables of spectral and chromatogram data for authentication in HMs. Indeed, some chemometrics techniques, mainly pattern recognition either unsupervised or supervised, were applied for this purpose.

Distinguishing Korean and Chinese red pepper powder using inductively coupled plasma and X-ray fluorescence-based analysis

This study aimed to distinguish between Korean and Chinese red pepper powder (RPP) using inorganic elemental analysis data combined with orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Elemental concentrations were obtained for 31 Korean and 31 Chinese RPP samples that were collected in Korea. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy detected 11 elements in these samples. Rb and Cl concentrations were selected as the variables which best allowed distinguishing between Korean and Chinese RPP using an S-plot from OPLS-DA. Rb and Cl concentrations in the Korean RPP samples were ≤ 1.6 mg/100 g (measured by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy) and ≤ 215 mg/100 g, respectively. A blind trial demonstrated that Korean RPP containing ≥ 50 g/100 g of Chinese RPP could be identified by applying predetermined ranges of Rb and Cl concentrations, suggesting that analysis of these two elements is a possible approach to distinguish between Korean and Chinese RPP.

Discriminant Analysis of the Geographical Origin of Asian Red Pepper Powders Using Second-Derivative FT-IR Spectroscopy

This study aimed to discriminate between the geographical origins of Asian red pepper powders distributed in Korea using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate statistical analyses. Second-derivative spectral data were obtained from a total of 105 red pepper powder samples, 86 of which were used for statistical analysis, and the remaining 19 were used for blind testing. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test confirmed that eight peak variables exhibited significant origin-dependent differences, and the canonical discriminant functions derived from these variables were used to correctly classify all the red pepper powder samples based on their origins. The applicability of the canonical discriminant functions was examined by performing a blind test wherein the origins of 19 new red pepper powder samples were correctly classified. For simplicity, the four most significant variables were selected as discriminant indicator variables, and the applicable range for each indicator variable was set for each geographical origin. By applying the indicator variable ranges, the origins of the red pepper powders of all the statistical and blind samples were correctly identified. The study findings indicate the feasibility of using FT-IR spectroscopy in combination with multivariate analysis for identifying the geographical origins of red pepper powders.

The Application of NMR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics in Authentication of Spices

Spices and herbs are among the most commonly adulterated food types. This is because spices are widely used to process food. Spices not only enhance the flavor and taste of food, but they are also sources of numerous bioactive compounds that are significantly beneficial for health. The healing effects of spices are connected with their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and carminative properties. However, regular consumption of adulterated spices may cause fatal damage to our system because adulterants in most cases are unhealthy. For that reason, the appropriate analytical methods are necessary for quality assurance and to ensure the authenticity of spices. Spectroscopic methods are gaining interest as they are fast, require little or no sample preparation, and provide rich structural information. This review provides an overview of the application of NMR spectroscopy combined with chemometric analysis to determine the quality and adulteration of spices.