Effective strategy for distinguishing raw and vinegar Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus based on electronic eye and electronic tongue combined with chemometrics

INTRODUCTION: Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus (SCF), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used in treating virtual injury and strain since ancient times. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia reveals that SCF includes raw (RSCF) and vinegar-processed (VSCF) decoction pieces. OBJECTIVE: This study developed an effective method combining the electronic eye (e-eye), electronic tongue (e-tongue), and chemometrics to discriminate RSCF and VSCF from the perspective of chemical composition, color, and taste. MATERIAL AND METHODS: First, RSCF were collected and processed into VSCF, and their color parameters, e-tongue sensory properties, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra-HPLC (UPLC) characteristic fingerprints, and nominal ingredients were determined. Multivariate statistical analyses, including principal component, linear discriminant, similarity, and partial least squares discriminant analyses, were conducted. RESULTS: , indicating the significantly changed sample color and appearance before and after processing. The e-tongue technology was used to quantitatively characterize the taste of RSCF and VSCF. The t-test revealed significantly reduced sourness, aftertaste-bitter, and aftertaste-astringent values of SCF after vinegar processing. Principal component and partial least squares discriminant analyses indicated that e-eye and e-tongue realize the rapid RSCF and VSCF identification. CONCLUSION: The proposed comprehensive strategy of electronic eye and electronic tongue combined with chemometrics demonstrated satisfactory results with high efficiency, accuracy, and reliability. This can be developed into a novel and accurate method for discriminating RSCF and VSCF.