鏡検によるCurcuma longa L.(ウコン)とCurcuma aromatica Salisb.(ハルウコン)の鑑別について

概要

論文の詳細を見る
By using a microscope we studied morphological differences between the rhizomes of Curcuma longa L. and C. aromatica Salisb., both of which are used as heath food ingredients. We found a sharp contrast between the shapes of starch grains of C. longa and those of C. aromatica, namely long triangle to long ovate in C. longa and ovate to wide ovate in C. aromatica, regardless of the degree of processing. There is a clear difference in the ratio of the major diameter to the minor one between these two species. In addition, we also found that the color of the contents of the secreting cells differed between the species: reddish-brown in C. longa, colorless or pale yellow in C. aromatica. We then applied the morphological discrimination method to samples of health foods, the origins of which had been determined by DNA analyses. The result was identical with that determined by molecular biology techniques. This study shows that microscopic identification is a useful method for the authentication of the origin of health food products.
2008-08-20