Identification of Portulaca oleracea L. from different sources using GC–MS and FT-IR spectroscopy

A fingerprinting approach was developed by means of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and IR spectroscopy for quality control of Portulaca oleracea L., a traditional Chinese food and medicine that has been used for thousands of years in China. Eleven P. oleracea L. samples obtained from different sources were used to establish the fingerprints, and the similarity evaluation and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed to evaluate the similarity and variation of these samples. The results showed that the 11 samples all have the similarity of greater than 0.84, indicating that the samples from different sources were consistent to great extent. The cluster analysis results of GC–MS and IR spectra were similar, and 11 samples from five provinces of China were divided into two main clusters: one was from North China and another from South China. It proved that both GC–MS fingerprint and IR spectral fingerprint could be used for the identification and differentiation of P. oleracea L. from different sources.