A novel and practical strategy for comprehensive differentiation and profiling of eight Curcumae varieties and their counterfeit from the Chinese market

Wenlong Wei; Saiyi Ye; Qiuyi Wen; Shuai Yao; Huiting Ou; Chunxiang Liu; Qirui Bi; Hua Qu; Erwei Hao; Chun Yao; Jianqing Zhang; De-An Guo

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142842

A novel and practical strategy for comprehensive differentiation and profiling of eight Curcumae varieties and their counterfeit from the Chinese market

Food Chem. 2025 Jan 10:472:142842. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142842. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Wenlong Wei¹, Saiyi Ye², Qiuyi Wen³, Shuai Yao¹, Huiting Ou², Chunxiang Liu², Qirui Bi¹, Hua Qu¹, Erwei Hao³, Chun Yao⁴, Jianqing Zhang⁵, De-An Guo⁶

Affiliations

¹ National Engineering Research Center of TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road (#)501, Shanghai 201203, China.
² National Engineering Research Center of TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road (#)501, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.
³ Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, No 13. Wuhe Avenue, Nanning 530200, China.
⁴ Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, No 13. Wuhe Avenue, Nanning 530200, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ National Engineering Research Center of TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road (#)501, Shanghai 201203, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ National Engineering Research Center of TCM Standardization Technology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haike Road (#)501, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39827560
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142842

Abstract

The Curcuma genus is extensively used in food, traditional medicine, and spice, however, nine closely related varieties are frequently misidentified, leading to mislabeling and adulteration. This study presents an innovative and practical strategy for precise differentiation of nine Curcumae varieties-eight authentic and one counterfeit. For the first time, comprehensive characterizations were conducted using LC-Orbitrap MS, and 702 non-volatiles were annotated, laying a groundwork for marker selection and identification. Following extensive optimization, advanced methods, including HPTLC, HPLC fingerprint, and multi-component quantification, were developed. These techniques, innovatively applied to this group, and achieved excellent separation for all nine varieties. This culminated in the generation of a practical authentication criteria validated across 138 source-confirmed samples. Application of these criteria to 98 commercial products revealed 10 counterfeits, underscoring efficacy of this approach. This strategy offers a robust approach to prevent mislabeling and enhance quality control in food and traditional medicine industries.

Keywords: Authentication; Chemical profiling; Curcumae Radix; Curcumae Rhizoma; LC-HRMS.