Discrimination of poisonous and medicinal plants with similar appearance (Asarum heterotropoides vs. Cynanchum paniculatum) via a fusion method of E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and electrochemical fingerprint spectra

With the E-nose, we identified 25 major odor components in AH and 12 odor components in CP in a single run of 140 s. Using the E-tongue, bitterness and astringency were identified as their primary taste differences. Furthermore, 91 compounds in AH and 90 compounds in CP were identified through LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Both AH and CP shared nitrogenous compounds, volatile oils, organic acids, and lignans. However, AH uniquely contained coumarins and flavonoids, while CP contained steroidal compounds and saccharides. Notably, AH also possessed distinct toxic components, specifically aristolactam I, aristolochic acid D, and safrole. Based on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, we obtained the electrochemical fingerprint spectra of AH and CP, thereby facilitating further distinction between these two herbs. Through the combination of electrochemical fingerprint spectra with principal component analysis (PCA) or orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), the accuracy of this method reached 100%. Through the fusion strategy, the odors, tastes, components, and electrochemical properties of AH and CP have been systematically analyzed.