Region-specific wax tracers enable geographical origin tracing of Schisandra sphenanthera fruits via GC/MS chemotyping

Schisandra sphenanthera fruit, a popular wild berry widely used for beverages industrial material in northeast Asian regions, urgently requires origin tracing technologies for adapting to the market rule of ‘better quality, better price’. This study first employed gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to analyze the cuticular wax of S. sphenanthera fruits from three main ecologically distinct production areas in China. The results showed that high levels of fatty acids (FA) and long-chain primary alcohols (LPA, C ≥ 26) were detected in the southwestern region (FA: 2.66 μg/cm 2 and LPA: 2.02 μg/cm 2 ); The highest aldehyde (2.12 μg/cm 2 ) and lowest sterol (0.50 μg/cm 2 ) content were detected from the central region; The lowest total wax (14.52 μg/cm 2 ) and higher sterol content (0.16 μg/cm 2 ) were detected in the eastern region. This study provided five indicative wax tracers firstly that serve as geographical indicators, enhancing knowledge of their ecological adaptability while establishing traceable chemical markers for geographical origin tracing. • Geographic-specific fruit cuticular waxes enable reliable origin traceability. • Hexacosanal is first reported as a geographical marker for Schisandra sphenanthera. • Long-chain fatty acids and primary alcohols mediate adaptation to summer rainfall areas. • Elevated aldehydes enhance the fruit resilience to wide temperature shifts.