Carbon isotope composition as a tool for quality control of herbs, spices and medicinal plants

• Autor(a) principal: Marchese, José Abramo [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2006
• Outros Autores: Ming, Lin Chau [UNESP], Ducatti, Carlos [UNESP], Tadeu Da Silva, Evandro [UNESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo de conferência
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://www.actahort.org/books/720/720_18.htm; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/69148
• topic: Botanicals; C3 and C4 plants; Isotope discrimination; Photosynthesis; Cymbopogon citratus; Melissa officinalis

Isotope screening is a simple and cheap test for determining the photosynthetic pathway used by plants. The scope of this work was to classify the photosynthetic type of Melissa officinalis L. and Cymbopogon citratus [DC.] Stapf, through studies of the carbon isotope composition (δ13 C), and we are proposing the use of carbon isotope composition results as a tool to control the quality of medicinal plants. For studies of δ 13C (13 C% = [R (sample)/R (standard) - 1] × 10 -3), dried, powdered leaves were analyzed in a mass spectrometer coupled with an elemental analyzer for determining the ratio R (R = 13CO2/12CO2). As results, M. officinalis presented a C3 photosynthetic type, and C. citratus presented a C4 photosynthetic type. The carbon isotope composition from this study can be used as quality control of M. officinalis adulterants.