Abstract
BackgroundBitter herbs are important in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Electronic Tongue (e-Tongue) is an instrument that can be trained to evaluate bitterness of bitter herbs and their constituents. The aim of this research was to evaluate bitterness of limonoids and alkaloids from Evodia rutaecarpa to demonstrate that they are main bitter material basic of E. rutaecarpa.MethodsNine compounds, including limonoids, indoloquinazoline alkaloids and quinolone alkaloids, were isolated, identified and analyzed by the e-Tongue. Additionally, the antibacterial activities of the nine compounds were evaluated against E. coli and S. aureus.ResultsAll the nine compounds had bitter taste and antibacterial activities to some extent. Among them, limonoids, which were the bitterest compounds, had greater antibacterial activities than alkaloids. And there is a positive correlation between bitter taste and antibacterial activities.ConclusionsIt was confirmed in our study that limonoids, indoloquinazoline alkaloids and quinolone alkaloids are main bitter material basic of E. rutaecarpa based on two evaluation methods of e-Tongue and antibacterial experiment. In addition, the e-Tongue technique is a suitable new method to measure bitter degree in herbs.
Highlights
Bitter herbs are important in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Electronic Tongue (e-Tongue) is an instrument that can be trained to evaluate bitterness of bitter herbs and their constituents
The results revealed that limonoids are bitterer than indoloquinazoline alkaloids, which in turn are bitterer than quinolone alkaloids
1. “+” represents bacteria can be observed in the experimental concentration; “−” represents bacteria can not be observed in the experimental concentration 2
Summary
Bitter herbs are important in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Electronic Tongue (e-Tongue) is an instrument that can be trained to evaluate bitterness of bitter herbs and their constituents. The study revealed that there were no differences between the e-Tongue data and the results obtained from a sensory taste panel, and e-Tongue is a suitable tool evaluating bitter constituents from TCM. We performed a study to evaluate E. rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth., commonly referred to as “Wuzhuyu” in China. This herb, which has a spicy and bitter taste, has been used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, abdominal pain, headache, and dysentery for thousands of years.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
