Infrared-based protocol for the identification and categorization of ginseng and its products

Quality assurance of ginseng is important since many ginseng products sold today are in various formulations, and it is difficult to identify them by morphological means such as physical appearance, smell, or even taste. Different chemical constituents in herbs like ginseng tend to exhibit characteristic infrared fingerprints. We have established a simple and rapid protocol based on infrared wavelengths and principal component analysis for the identification and categorization of ginseng, and called it the 2-6PC rule. The advantage of this protocol is that it is able to provide rapid identification of natural products since it avoids tedious extraction or purification procedures. Our results show that this protocol was not only able to discriminate raw ginseng roots, but also different types of ginsengs in three commercial ginseng products. The potential of the novel 2-6PC rule as a rapid quality surveillance tool in the authentication of ginseng and its products is definitely appealing. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.