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Volume 26
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10.3390/ijms26157293
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Preliminary Study on the Geochemical Characterization of Viticis Fructus Cuticular Waxes: From Latitudinal Variation to Origin Authentication

by
Yiqing Luo
1,2,3,†,
Min Guo
2,3,†,
Lei Hu
2,3,
Jiaxin Yang
2,3,
Junyu Xu
2,4,
Muhammad Rafiq
2,
Ying Wang
1,
Chunsong Cheng
2,3,* and
Shaohua Zeng
1,*
1
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
2
Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Chinese Materia Medica Resources, Lushan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiujiang 332900, China
3
Lushan Xinglin Institute for Medicinal Plants & Jiujiang Xinglin Key Laboratory for Traditional Chinese Medicines, Lushan, Jiujiang 332900, China
4
School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These two authors contributed equally to this work.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(15), 7293; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157293
Submission received: 16 June 2025 / Revised: 22 July 2025 / Accepted: 23 July 2025 / Published: 28 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Biochemistry)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Viticis Fructus (VF), a fruit known for its unique flavor profile and various health benefits, demonstrates substantial quality variations depending on its area of production. Traditional methods of production area verification based on internal compound analysis are hampered by a number of technical limitations. This investigation systematically characterized the cuticular wax composition of VF sample from a diverse variety of production areas. Quantitative analyses were conducted to evaluate the spatial distribution patterns of the wax constituents. Significant regional variations were observed: Anhui sample exhibited the highest total wax content (21.39 μg/cm2), with n-alkanes dominating at 76.67%. High-latitude regions showed elevated triterpenoid acid levels, with maslinic acid (0.53 μg/cm2) and ursolic acid (0.34 μg/cm2) concentrations exceeding those of their low-latitude counterparts by four- and three-fold, respectively. Altitudinal influence manifested in long-chain alcohol accumulation, as triacontanol reached 0.87 μg/cm2in high-altitude sample. Five key biomarkers demonstrated direct quality correlations: eicosanoic acid, n-triacontane, dotriacontanol, β-amyrin, and α-amyrin. This study established three novel origin identification protocols: single-component quantification, multi-component wax profiling, and wax ratio analysis. This work not only reveals the latitudinal dependence of VF wax composition, but also provides a scientific framework for geographical authentication. Our findings advance wax-based quality evaluation methodologies for fruit products, offering practical solutions for production area verification challenges in food raw materials.
Keywords: Viticis Fructus; cuticular waxes; origin identification; origin authentication; bi-omarkers Viticis Fructus; cuticular waxes; origin identification; origin authentication; bi-omarkers

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MDPI and ACS Style

Luo, Y.; Guo, M.; Hu, L.; Yang, J.; Xu, J.; Rafiq, M.; Wang, Y.; Cheng, C.; Zeng, S. Preliminary Study on the Geochemical Characterization of Viticis Fructus Cuticular Waxes: From Latitudinal Variation to Origin Authentication. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 7293. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157293

AMA Style

Luo Y, Guo M, Hu L, Yang J, Xu J, Rafiq M, Wang Y, Cheng C, Zeng S. Preliminary Study on the Geochemical Characterization of Viticis Fructus Cuticular Waxes: From Latitudinal Variation to Origin Authentication. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025; 26(15):7293. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157293

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luo, Yiqing, Min Guo, Lei Hu, Jiaxin Yang, Junyu Xu, Muhammad Rafiq, Ying Wang, Chunsong Cheng, and Shaohua Zeng. 2025. "Preliminary Study on the Geochemical Characterization of Viticis Fructus Cuticular Waxes: From Latitudinal Variation to Origin Authentication" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26, no. 15: 7293. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157293

APA Style

Luo, Y., Guo, M., Hu, L., Yang, J., Xu, J., Rafiq, M., Wang, Y., Cheng, C., & Zeng, S. (2025). Preliminary Study on the Geochemical Characterization of Viticis Fructus Cuticular Waxes: From Latitudinal Variation to Origin Authentication. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(15), 7293. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157293

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