Progress in the use of DNA barcodes in the identification and classification of medicinal plants.

DNA barcoding is an emerging molecular identification and classification technology that has been applied to medicinal plants since 2008. The application of this technique has greatly ensured the safety and effectiveness of medicinal materials. In this paper, we review the application of DNA barcoding and some related technologies over the past 10 years with respect to improving our knowledge of medicinal plant identification and authentication.

Quantitative NMR Methodology for the Authentication of Roasted Coffee and Prediction of Blends.

In response to the need from the food industry for new analytical solutions, a fit-for-purpose quantitative H NMR methodology was developed to authenticate pure coffee (100% arabica or robusta) as well as predict the percentage of robusta in blends through the study of 292 roasted coffee samples in triplicate. Methanol was chosen as the extraction solvent, which led to the quantitation of 12 coffee constituents: caffeine, trigonelline, 3- and 5-caffeoylquinic acid, lipids, cafestol, nicotinic acid, -methylpyridinium, formic acid, acetic acid, kahweol, and 16--methylcafestol. To overcome the chemical complexity of the methanolic extract, quantitative analysis was performed using a combination of traditional integration and spectral deconvolution methods.