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Metabolomics for the Authentication of Natural Extracts Used in Flavors and Fragrances: the Case Study of Violet Leaf Absolutes from Viola odorata
Author(s) -
SaintLary Laure,
Roy Céline,
Paris JeanPhilippe,
Martin JeanFrançois,
Thomas Olivier P.,
Fernandez Xavier
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemistry and biodiversity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.427
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1612-1880
pISSN - 1612-1872
DOI - 10.1002/cbdv.201500230
Subject(s) - chemistry , metabolomics , chromatography
Natural extracts used in fine fragrances (alcoholic perfumes) are rare and precious. As such, they represent an interesting target for fraudulent practices called adulterations. Absolutes, important materials used in the creation of perfumes, are obtained by organic solvent extraction of raw plant materials. Because the nonvolatile part of these natural extracts is not normalized and scarcely reported, highlighting potential adulterations present in this fraction appears highly challenging. For the first time, we investigated the use of nontargeted UHPLC ‐To FMS metabolomics for this purpose, considering Viola odorata l ., a plant largely used in the perfume industry, as a model. Significant differences in the metabolic fingerprints of the violet leaf absolutes were evidenced according to geographical locations, and/or adulterations. Additionally, markers of the geographical origin were detected through their molecular weight/most probable molecular formula and retention time, while adulterations were statistically validated. In this study, we thus clearly demonstrated the efficiency of UHPLC ‐To FMS ‐based metabolomics in accelerating both the identification of the origin of raw materials as well as the search for potential adulterations in absolutes, natural products of high added value.