Rapid authentication of agarwood by using liquid extraction surface analysis mass spectrometry (LESA‐MS)
Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Objective
To establish a simple, rapid and non‐destructive technique for identifying the authenticity of agarwood.
Methods
Liquid extraction surface analysis mass spectrometry (LESA‐MS) was firstly proposed to identify the authenticity of 62 agarwood samples without sample preparation. In addition, multivariate statistical models and thin‐layer chromatography (TLC) method were used to analyse and verify the results of LESA‐MS.
Conclusion
The proposed LESA‐MS method was successfully applied in the direct qualitative analysis of agarwood from different sources. This study indicated great feasibility and practicality of LESA‐MS in the rapid identification of agarwood, and provided a non‐destructive and meaningful preliminary screening tool for the agarwood industry.