Discrimination of Rhizoma Gastrodiae (Tianma) using 3D synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with principal component analysis

•Discrimination of Tianma of different variants and different geographical origins by 3D synchronous fluorescence spectrometry.•The chemometrics tool principal component analysis applied in this study generated good exploratory and predictive results.•3D synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with PCA can successfully classify and identify Tianma.•This novel method can be applied to classify and identify the similar Chinese herbal medicine.

Rhizoma Gastrodiae (Tianma) of different variants and different geographical origins has vital difference in quality and physiological efficacy. This paper focused on the classification and identification of Tianma of six types (two variants from three different geographical origins) using three dimensional synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (3D-SFS) coupled with principal component analysis (PCA). 3D-SF spectra of aqueous extracts, which were obtained from Tianma of the six types, were measured by a LS-50B luminescence spectrofluorometer. The experimental results showed that the characteristic fluorescent spectral regions of the 3D-SF spectra were similar, while the intensities of characteristic regions are different significantly. Coupled these differences in peak intensities with PCA, Tianma of six types could be discriminated successfully. In conclusion, 3D-SFS coupled with PCA, which has such advantages as effective, specific, rapid, non-polluting, has an edge for discrimination of the similar Chinese herbal medicine. And the proposed methodology is a useful tool to classify and identify Tianma of different variants and different geographical origins.

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