Measuring Agarwood Formation Ratio Quantitatively by Fluorescence Spectral Imaging Technique

Area of Science:

• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biophotonics

Background:

• Agarwood is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine facing declining natural resources.
• Artificial cultivation of agarwood is increasingly important for supply and quality control.
• Current methods for assessing agarwood quantity rely on subjective, experience-based qualitative judgments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a quantitative, non-destructive method for measuring agarwood formation.
• To establish objective data for guiding agarwood cultivation practices.
• To enable precise quality control of agarwood products.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing fluorescence multispectral imaging to capture spectral data from 450 nm to 800 nm under 365 nm excitation.
• Analyzing the spectral cube to differentiate between agarwood, non-agarwood, and rotten wood components within samples.
• Calculating the area ratio of agarwood to the total sample area for quantitative assessment.

Main Results:

• Successfully distinguished agarwood from other wood types using spectral analysis.
• Quantified agarwood presence by determining the area percentage within samples.
• Achieved accurate and non-destructive measurement of agarwood formation.

Conclusions:

• Fluorescence multispectral imaging provides an accurate and non-destructive method for quantifying agarwood.
• This technique offers objective data crucial for improving agarwood cultivation and quality control.
• This represents a significant advancement in the objective assessment of agarwood.