Feasibility Study on the Geographical Indication of Lycium barbarum Based on Electrochemical Fingerprinting Technique

Abstract

Rapid traceability of plant products is important for food safety. Because plant tissues contain electrochemically active substances such as polyphenols, their electrochemical fingerprint can be used as a basis for geographic determination. In this paper, we propose an electrochemical fingerprinting technique for species identification and geographical indication using Chinese wolfberry (Lycium barbarum). We selected a total of nine Chinese wolfberry varieties. We also collected Chinese wolfberries of the same variety from different geographical areas (across provinces). Samples of a single variety of Chinese wolfberry presented very consistent electrochemical behaviors in two buffer solutions. The electrochemical behavior of a single variety of Chinese wolfberry grown in different geographical areas was also very similar, because the range of electrochemically active substances in their tissues is mainly controlled by genetics. Therefore, variations in electrochemically active substances were not very substantial. However, we found that by identifying small differences in electrochemical fingerprints, it was possible to differentiate Chinese wolfberries grown in different provinces.