In an original research study published in Frontiers in Nutrition, researchers deployed an integrated multi-sensor platform combining an electronic nose, an electronic tongue, and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry to authenticate commercial specifications of Boju (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.). The investigation demonstrated that while electronic nose profiling effectively segregated the commercial varieties, electronic tongue analysis identified subtle taste distinctions and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry resolved specific volatile chemical biomarkers that underpinned their aromatic divergence.
Commercial Boju is derived from the dried capitulum of Asteraceae and represents a functional herb of significant medicinal value that is consumed globally for its distinctive organoleptic properties. Currently, two primary commercial specifications of Boju circulate in the market: Chrysanthemum morifolium Hemsl cv. ‘Da Boju’ (DBJ) and Chrysanthemum morifolium Hemsl cv. ‘Xiao Boju’ (XBJ). The research identifies their original respective plant sources as Chrysanthemum × morifolium Hemsl cv. ‘Damaya’ and Chrysanthemum × morifolium Hemsl cv. ‘Boju’, underscoring the necessity of reliable analytical methods to resolve cultivar-specific authentication challenges.
To evaluate the sensory characteristics of both commercial cultivars, the authors deployed complementary sensor systems to capture distinct flavor profiles. While electronic nose profiles successfully separated DBJ from XBJ, electronic tongue analysis revealed largely overlapping sensor responses across both cultivar groups. Within the electronic tongue evaluations, saltiness-like and umami-like sensor channels predominated across the samples, with DBJ distinguished primarily by significantly stronger bitter-aftertaste responses compared to XBJ.
Complementing the sensor arrays, metabolomic analysis using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry resolved a total of 125 volatile signals from the chrysanthemum samples. From these detected signals, the investigators annotated 66 distinct chemical compounds. Subsequent multivariate modeling successfully isolated 28 terpenoid-enriched biomarkers that directly accounted for the observed aromatic differences between DBJ and XBJ.
Conducted by researchers at the School of Pharmacy at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine and Anhui Agricultural University in Hefei, China, the study concluded that this non-destructive data fusion framework offers a robust paradigm for the quality grading and standardization of chrysanthemum-based functional foods.
Subject of Research: Cultivar authentication and quality evaluation of commercial Boju chrysanthemum using multi-sensor data fusion
Article Title: Quality evaluation of commercial ‘Boju’ (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) using integrated electronic nose, electronic tongue, and GC-IMS analysis
Article References: Xiang, X.-S., Sun, Y.-Y., Gao, J.-S., Li, D.-H., & Yang, Q.-S. (2026). Quality evaluation of commercial ‘Boju’ (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) using integrated electronic nose, electronic tongue, and GC-IMS analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 13, Article 1945038. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2026.1945038
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1945038
Keywords: Boju, Chrysanthemum morifolium, electronic nose, electronic tongue, GC-IMS, chemometrics, metabolomics, food chemistry, Quality, evaluation, commercial, Chrysanthemum
