Towards authentication of Korean ginseng-containing foods: Differentiation of five Panax species by a novel diagnostic tool

Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (Korean ginseng) is one of the most valuable medicinal plants, recognised for its neuroprotection and other beneficial health effects. It present in a wide range food products, namely plant supplements (PFS) herbal infusions. However, species, having distinct therapeutic effects, are also known as ginseng, pointing out need authenticating such products. The work aims at proposing new high-resolution melting (HRM) method to differentiate five species (P. P. quinquefolius, notoginseng, japonicus trifolius), targeting gene encoding dammarenediol synthase, involved biosynthesis pathway ginsenosides. A Panax-specific real-time PCR assay was successfully developed with high analytical performance parameters (Efficiency = 100.5 %, R2 0.995, dynamic 10 ng-1 pg DNA). DNA detected 17 23 ginseng-containing commercial foods, including infusions PFS. For first time, HRM analysis differentiated level confidence (>98 %), which corroborated sequencing data. Fourteen products were clustered, being all except accordance their labelling statements. Therefore, proposes reliable high-throughput tool authenticate that could be useful control laboratories.