Research status of insect infestation of Chinese medicinal materials during storage / 中国中药杂志

During the storage process, Chinese medicinal materials are susceptible to insect infestation due to their own nature and external storage factors. Infestation by insects can have varying impacts on the materials. In mild cases, it affects the appearance and reduces consumer purchasing power, while in severe cases, it affects the quality, reduces medicinal value, and introduces impurities such as insect bodies, excrement, and secretions, resulting in significant contamination of the medicinal materials. This study reviewed the rele-vant factors influencing insect infestation in Chinese medicinal materials and the compositional changes that occur after infestation and summarized maintenance measures for preventing insect infestation. Additionally, it provided an overview of detection techniques applicable to identifying insect infestation during the storage of Chinese medicinal materials. During the storage process, insect infestation is the result of the combined effects of biological factors(source, species, and population density of insects), intrinsic factors(moisture, chemical composition, and metabolism), and environmental factors(temperature, relative humidity, and oxygen content). After infestation, there are significant changes in the content of constituents in the medicinal materials. By implementing strict pre-storage inspections, regular maintenance after storage, and appropriate storage and maintenance methods, the occurrence of insect infestation can be reduced, and the preservation rate of Chinese medicinal materials can be improved. The storage and maintenance of Chinese medicinal materials are critical for ensuring their quality. Through scientifically standardized storage and strict adherence to operational management standards, the risk of insect infestation can be minimized, thus guaranteeing the quality of Chinese medicinal materials.

Analysis of Rancidity Mechanism of Armeniacae Semen Amarum During Storage / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the mechanism of rancidity during storage by researching the changes of water content， relative permeability of cell membrane and rancidity levels of Armeniacae Semen Amarum in deterioration process. Method:Armeniacae Semen Amarum samples under different storage conditions were evaluated and classified by sensory assessors， and samples with different levels of rancidity were obtained. Water content was measured by toluene method， and water activity was obtained by water activity meter. Malondialdehyde （MDA） and relative conductivity were measured using thiobarbituric acid colorimetry and conductivity meter， respectively. The content of fatty oil was obtained by Soxhlet extraction. The acid value and peroxide value were measured in accordance with the general rules 0713 and 2303 of the 2020 edition of <italic>Chinese Pharmacopoeia</italic> （part Ⅳ）， respectively. Based on the above experimental data， chemometric methods （cluster analysis， principal component analysis） were selected to establish classification and discriminant models of Armeniacae Semen Amarum with different rancidity levels， in order to verify the accuracy of the classification results. Result:According to the results of sensory evaluation， Armeniacae Semen Amarum samples were divided into three classes， including no rancidity， slight rancidity and rancidity. Compared with the no rancid samples， the color of surface and cotyledon were deepened in rancid samples， and the oil was appeared on surface with rancid taste. The values of water content， water activity， MDA content and relative conductivity were all significantly increased in deterioration process （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. The content of fatty oil was significantly decreased with the occurrence of rancidness （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， while the acid value and peroxide value increased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. The results of cluster analysis and principal component analysis showed that the rancid samples could be distinguished from the no rancid and slightly rancid samples. Conclusion:The storage conditions under high temperature and high humidity can accelerate the rancidness of Armeniacae Semen Amarum， which is accompanied by the increase of internal water content， the increase of cell membrane permeability and the occurrence of fatty acid rancidity. It is suggested that Armeniacae Semen Amarum should be stored in low temperature， dry environment， as well as short storage time.