Spatial variability and climate response characteristics of the chemical components in Siraitia grosvenorii (Luo Han Guo)

Abstract

Siraitia grosvenorii, also known as Luo Han Guo (LHG), is a habitat-dominated herb that has expanded its cultivation areas owing to the economic value over the recent years. In this study, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint of LHG grown in different locations was used to identify biomarkers for its geographical origin identification. The result of the hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis revealed that the chemical compositions of the LHG varied according to geographical origins and climate factors. Moreover, eight common peaks, including peaks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, and 15 from HPLC, were identified as potential markers to distinguish LHG origins via orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis and variable importance in projection scores. Furthermore, correlation analysis revealed that these markers were closely associated with various climate factors such as average temperature, sunshine hours, diurnal temperature variation, and average precipitation in specific months. These findings offer new insights into LHG origin identification and may support optimized cultivation for medicinal or culinary uses.