Determination of chemical changes in Isatis indigotica seeds carried after Chinese first spaceship with FTIR and 2D-IR correlation spectroscopy

• Spaceflight was an effective method to create new germplasm of Isatis indigotica.
• Chemical changes of Isatis indigotica seeds after spaceflight were determined.
• FTIR and 2DIR correlation spectroscopy were used in analysis.
• Spaceflight caused chemical changes of Isatis indigotica seeds.

Spaceflight represents a complex environmental condition. Space mutagenesis breeding has achieved and marked certain results over the years. This method was employed in our previous studies in order to obtain improved germplasm of Isatis indigotica. This study is to determine the chemical changes in I. indigotica seeds carried after Chinese first spaceship (Shenzhou I). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), second derivative and two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) correlation spectroscopy were used in analysis. Not much differences between the two spectra were found except the peaks in the range of 1500–1200 cm−1 which was about 7 cm−1 different and indicated the absorption could be initialed from different bonds. SP4 showed different derivative compared with C4 in the second derivative spectra of 1200–800 cm−1. The stronger signal of 2DIR in SP4 indicated the protein content of the seed was changed after spaceflight. It is concluded that spaceflight provided an extreme condition that caused changes of chemical properties in I. indigotica.

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