Objective

2

To explore the correlation between the external color and chemical components， as well as the patterns of intrinsic component variation during the processing of Zhizi （Gardeniae Frucutus） by quantitatively analyzing the chromaticity values and intrinsic components of Jiaozhizi （Gardeniae Fructus Praeparatus） processed to different degrees， and to provide a reference for the quality evaluation of Jiaozhizi.

Methods

2

A colorimeter was used to measure the chromaticity values （

L

*

，

a

*

，

b

*

，

E

*

ab

） of three Jiaozhizi powder samples processed to different degrees. The content of eight key components in Jiaozhizi was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）. Analytical methods such as principal component analysis （PCA）， orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA）， and Pearson correlation were used to analyze the correlation between chromaticity and component content.

Results

2

Due to the lack of intuitive and unified standards in herbal slice factories across various regions， there was a significant variation in the processing degree among the samples produced. As the processing progressed， the apparent color of Jiaozhizi gradually shifted from red-yellow to burnt brown. The chromaticity values of Jiaozhizi powder were highly

correlated with its intrinsic components. Both the measured chromaticity parameters and the content of eight components exhibited a declining trend. Among them， chemical components such as geniposide， gardenoside， and crocin I， which showed a very significant positive correlation with the

a

*

value， could serve as biomarkers for monitoring and quality control during the processing of Jiaozhizi.

Conclusion

2

By establishing a correspondence between color changes and component variations during the processing of Jiaozhizi， the subjective ambiguities of traditional empirical identification are mitigated， thereby providing clues for the discrimination of processing degree and the prediction of the content of marker components in Jiaozhizi.