Integrated electronic eye, electronic nose and high performance liquid chromatography for identification of raw and...

Psoralea corylifolia fructus (PF), a traditional drug widespread use in China, is available in two forms: raw Psoralea corylifolia fructus (RPF) and salt-processed Psoralea corylifolia fructus. (SPF). Despite the distinct therapeutic efficacies of RPF and SPF, their morphological similarities pose a challenge for their rapid and accurate differentiation. To investigate the differences in color, volatile, and non-volatile compounds between RPF and SPF, and to develop a novel, rapid method for their differentiation. An integrated strategy combined electronic eye (E-eye), electronic nose (E-nose), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed. E-eye was employed to quantify the visual color attributes. Concurrently, E-nose was used to analyze the odor profiles. The non-volatile compounds were identified using HPLC. Additionally, the practicality of these methods was evaluated using the Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI). Chemometric analysis was conducted to identify markers capable of distinguishing between RPF and SPF. The parameters L* and b* were selected as chromaticity markers. Additionally, 14 compounds, including 1-butanol, 1,2-dimethylbenzene, and β-pinene etc., were identified as volatile markers. The compounds bakuchiol and bavachin were identified as potential non-volatile markers. The performance scores for the E-eye, E-nose, and HPLC methods were 77.5, 80.0, and 72.5, respectively, suggesting their applicability. This study elucidated differences in color, volatile, and non-volatile compounds between RPF and SPF. It not only improves the quality control of PF but also introduces an innovative approach for the rapid differentiation of RPF and SPF.