Study on Quality Evaluation of Hybrid Fresh Gastrodia elata

To conduct a comprehensive quality evaluation of Chongqing hybrid fresh Gastrodia elata, 5 batches of fresh Gastrodia elata (G1-G5) from different origins in Chongqing were collected as the research objects. The differences in nutritional components, active ingredients, heavy metal content, and volatile substances of hybrid fresh Gastrodia elata were compared and analyzed, and pattern recognition research was conducted by combining principal component analysis, orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis, and cluster analysis. As a result, the HPLC fingerprints of 5 batches of Chongqing Gastrodia elata were established, with similarities ranging from 0.967 to 0.997, indicating that the differences between different batches of Gastrodia elata were relatively small. The total content of gastrodin and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol in G2 Gastrodia elata was the highest, at (5.92±0.67) mg/g. A total of 16 amino acids were detected from all samples, of which 9.77%-18.66% were essential amino acids. The content of medicinal amino acids was relatively higher in the range of (5 703.77±240.89)-(7 889.03±145.37) mg/kg, accounting for 63.05%-76.79% of the total amino acid content. Except for G5 Gastrodia elata, the heavy metal content of the other batches of Gastrodia elata complied with relevant industry standards. A total of 67 volatile compounds were detected in 5 batches of Gastrodia elata. Through odor activity value (OAV) analysis, 20 compounds with OAV greater than 0.1 were identified, of which 5 batches of Gastrodia elata all contained (E)-2-nonenal and had high OAV. This study aimed to provide a reference for the overall quality evaluation of Chongqing hybrid fresh Gastrodia elata, and to provide theoretical support for the further development and utilization of Gastrodia elata resources.