Identification and Analysis of Amygdalin, Neoamygdalin and Amygdalin Amide in Different Processed Bitter Almonds by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and HPLC-DAD.

Processing is a traditional pharmacy technology based on traditional Chinese medicine theory. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) ingredients should be processed before being used as a medicine. Processed bitter almonds are widely used in the clinic in TCM for the treatment of cough and asthma. In this work the amygdalin profile of three producing areas in China was determined, with respect to three differently processed bitter almond products: raw, stir-fried and scalded. Identification of the compounds was done by using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). Results indicated that amygdalin, neoamygdalin and amygdalin amide were identified in the different processed bitter almonds. Meanwhile, amygdalin was used as a standard to calculate the quantification of amygdalin and the concentration ratio of neoamygdalin and total amygdalin by HPLC-DAD. The data suggested that composition of amygdalin isomers in bitter almonds was influenced by the processing method. It also gives a new understanding of the processing principle of bitter almonds. Moreover, the classification of different processed bitter almonds can be achieved on the basis of amygdalin isomers levels.

[Nondestructive recognization of mountain cultivated ginseng and garden cultivated ginseng by FTIR microspectroscopy].

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy technology is the combination of the FTIR spectrometer and the microscope. This technology is of simple preparation of the samples, can be used in micro-area analysis and micro-samples, and reflect the nature of the samples spectra. Panax ginseng include mountain cultivated ginseng (MCG), garden cultivated ginseng (GCG) and mountain wild ginseng (MWG), but the excavation of MWG is prohibited in China. So, only MCG and GCG were collected and recorded in Chinese pharmacopoeia. In this study, we developed a discriminant analysis (DA) method for recognition of MCG and GCG using FTIR microspectroscopy technology. Twenty MCG samples and twenty four GCG samples were obtained, and their spectra of IR microspectroscopy were collected. Then 33 samples were randomly selected into calibration set and the remaining 11 of the samples were selected into validation set. The authors optimized the pretreatment method, the principal components, the modeling region and the scanning parts when developing the models. The optimized model of discriminant analysis was developed using the pretreatment multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) + Savitzky-Golay filter (SG) smoothing, the region 3 932.14-669.18 cm(-1), 4 principal components and the rhizome part. The accuracy of the optimized model got up to 100%. The result demonstrated that infrared microspectroscopy technology combined with DA is of simple operation, rapid, nondestructive and effective, and can be applied to recognize MCG and GCG.

A longer wood growing season does not lead to higher carbon sequestration.

A reliable assessment of forest carbon sequestration depends on our understanding of wood ecophysiology. Within a forest, trees exhibit different timings and rates of growth during wood formation. However, their relationships with wood anatomical traits remain partially unresolved. This study evaluated the intra-annual individual variability in growth traits in balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.]. We collected wood microcores weekly from April to October 2018 from 27 individuals in Quebec (Canada) and prepared anatomical sections to assess wood formation dynamics and their relationships with the anatomical traits of the wood cells. Xylem developed in a time window ranging from 44 to 118 days, producing between 8 and 79 cells. Trees with larger cell production experienced a longer growing season, with an earlier onset and later ending of wood formation. On average, each additional xylem cell lengthened the growing season by 1 day. Earlywood production explained 95% of the variability in xylem production. More productive individuals generated a higher proportion of earlywood and cells with larger sizes. Trees with a longer growing season produced more cells but not more biomass in the wood. Lengthening the growing season driven by climate change may not lead to enhanced carbon sequestration from wood production.

Quantitative Analysis of Panax ginseng by FT-NIR Spectroscopy.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a rapid and efficient tool, was used to determine the total amount of nine ginsenosides in Panax ginseng. In the study, the regression models were established using multivariate regression methods with the results from conventional chemical analytical methods as reference values. The multivariate regression methods, partial least squares regression (PLSR) and principal component regression (PCR), were discussed and the PLSR was more suitable. Multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), second derivative, and Savitzky-Golay smoothing were utilized together for the spectral preprocessing. When evaluating the final model, factors such as correlation coefficient (R (2)) and the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) were considered. The final optimal results of PLSR model showed that root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and correlation coefficients (R (2)) in the calibration set were 0.159 and 0.963, respectively. The results demonstrated that the NIRS as a new method can be applied to the quality control of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma.