Development of standard fingerprints of naked oats using chromatography combined with principal component analysis and cluster analysis

Oat samples of different varieties were collected from various habitats for the determination of avenacoside, β-glucan and fatty contents. The variation coefficients of the three components were 12.13%, 20.79% and 22.46%, respectively. Thus, those three indicators cannot represent the information of all samples, and are not suitable for evaluating the quality of oat raw materials and products. Fatty acid profiles were analyzed using gas chromatography combined with principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. Fourteen leather oat varieties were distinguished through a PCA scores scatterplot. Forty-six naked oat varieties were selected by cluster analysis and eleven characteristic peaks in these naked oats were identified. Finally, accurate fatty acid standard fingerprints of naked oats were constructed. The results of methodological indicated high precision, reproducibility and stability, in line with fingerprint testing requirements. This study fills the knowledge gap for naked oat fingerprint information, expands the grain fatty acid database, and lays the foundations of a grain nutritional liposome identification technology system.