Characterization of elements and carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L): Determining the geographical origin combining with chemometrics

Abstract

American ginseng is a valued medicinal and food homologous herbal, which geographical source governs its medicinal and economical values. This work aimed to identify the American ginseng from four regions (including Northeast provinces and Shandong province in China, America, and Canada) using ICP-MS and EA-IRMS. American ginseng harvested in China had significantly higher levels of the essential elements of K (18.7 g/kg), Ca (2.3 g/kg), Na (2.0 g/kg), Mg (1.9 g/kg), P (2.2 g/kg), Mn (59.6 mg/kg), and Cu (12.0 mg/kg), and lower levels of Fe (40.2 mg/kg), total Zn (18.1 mg/kg), B (16.5 mg/kg), and Mo (182.6 μg/kg) than those in America. Similarly, American ginseng harvested in Canada had significantly lower levels of the essential elements of Ca (1.2 g/kg), Fe (7.8 mg/kg), and B (16.5 mg/kg) than those in America. American ginseng from four regions had the significant difference in δ15N value. The highest and lowest δ15N in American ginseng were found in Shandong (3.5‰) and the Canada (-4.4‰), respectively. Multi-elements and δ15N combined with SVM, LDA, RF, and FNN models gave the good classification for American ginseng from four regions. The best FNN model obtained the 100% accuracy. The results showed that elements and δ15N are the useful indictors to identify the geographical origin of American ginseng.