Quality evaluation and identification of Houttuynia cordata bleached with sodium metabisulfite based on whole spectrum metabolomics

• Published in: Food Chemistry: X 2024-06, Vol.22, p.101463-101463, Article 101463
• Main Authors: Zhao, Dan, Yang, ChangGui, Xiao, ChengHong, Zhou, Tao, Wu, DeHua, Wang, Sheng, Kang, ChuanZhi, Guo, LanPing, Yang, Ye, Lyu, ChaoGeng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bleaching; Bleaching marker; Houttuynia Cordata; Quality evaluation; Sodium metabisulfite
• ISSN: 2590-1575; 2590-1575
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101463

•The effects of bleaching with sodium metabisulfite were comprehensively evaluated with a targeted metabolomic method.•The notable changes caused by sodium metabisulfite in H. Cordata mainly occurred at the initial stage of bleaching.•A chemical bleaching marker 1-hydroxy-3-oxodecane-1-sulfonic acid was further prepared, isolated, identified, and verified. Houttuynia Cordata (HC) is a widely distributed plant in Asia and is used extensively for both food and medicinal purposes. A preliminary investigation found that HC is often bleached with sodium metabisulfite solution during its field processing, leading to health risks. In this study, the effects of sodium metabisulfite on the quality of HC were comprehensively evaluated using volatile and non-volatile targeted metabolomic methods. The results revealed a positive correlation between the extent of chemical composition changes and the bleaching time. These notable changes mainly occurred at the initial stage of bleaching. Subsequently, an untargeted UPLC/Q-TOF MS method was used to explore the potential chemical bleaching markers in bleached HC. The marker 1-hydroxy-3-oxodecane-1-sulfonic acid was subsequently prepared, isolated, and identified. Market sample verification further validated the accuracy and effectiveness of this marker.