Flower Species Ingredient Verification Using Orthogonal Molecular Methods

Abstract

Abstract Flowers are gaining considerable interest by consumers as ingredients in food, beverages, cosmetics, and natural health products. The supply chain trades in multiple forms of botanicals including fresh whole flowers, which are easier to identify than dried flowers or flowers processed as powdered or liquid extracts. There is a gap in the scientific methods available for the verification of flower species ingredients traded in the supply chain of multiple markets. The objective of this paper is to develop methods for flower species ingredient verification using two orthogonal methods. More specifically the objectives of this study employed both 1) DNA based molecular diagnostic methods, and 2) NMR metabolite fingerprint methods in the identification of 23 common flower species ingredients. NMR data analysis reveals considerable information on the variation of metabolites present in different flower species including color variants within species. This study provides a comparison of the benefits and limitations of alternative methods for flower species ingredient supply chain verification needed to support quality assurance. The metabolomic approach provides a basis for understanding the phytochemical structure of natural products that may be eventually linked to efficacy in clinical trials and label claims with respect to health benefits of specific botanical formulations.