Infrared-based technique for the analysis of pharmaceutical Ginseng products

Quality of pharmaceutical products like ginseng is important for ensuring consumer safety and efficacy. Many ginseng products sold today are in various formulations which render it less identifiable by smell, taste or physical appearance. Furthermore, as ginseng is expensive, adulteration with other cheaper products occurs. Hence quality assurance of ginseng is needed. Since different chemical constituents in herbs like ginseng tend to exhibit characteristic infrared (IR) fingerprints, this study aimed to establish an analytical strategy for the use of IR spectral wavelengths in distinguishing different species of ginseng, as well as from adulterants, via mathematical processing of their spectra into derivatives and using principal component analysis (PCA). The results of the present study showed that Panax quinquefolius and Panax ginseng could be differentiated from each other, as well as from sawdust and Platycodon grandiflorum. PCA modeling of the IR spectra could also differentiate among the various grades of ginseng in Singapore. Further establishment of the infrared-based technique was demonstrated through the analysis of three grades of ginseng samples from Hong Kong and three commercial ginseng products. In conclusion, the infrared-based technique introduced in this study for the analysis of ginseng products has proven to be appealing.MASTER OF ENGINEERING (MPE