Chemical fingerprinting of Gardenia jasminoides fruit using direct sample introduction and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection

A rapid, rugged, and inexpensive approach is described to develop chemical fingerprints of volatile and semivolatile fractions in herbal medicine. The method is based on the combination of direct sample introduction and gas chromatography (GC) analysis with mass spectrometry detection. In comparison with routine methods, the proposed approach provides the most informative fingerprint and does not demand time-consuming extraction, pretreatment, and cleanup procedures. The approach was applied to establish the GC fingerprint of gardenia fruit (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis), in which 39 components were identified. With the help of principal components analysis, the obtained fingerprint could reveal the variation in and within different herb samples as affected by season and developmental state (wild or cultivated). The results indicated that the proposed approach could serve as a rapid, simple, and effective technique for the quality control of herbal medicines.