Practice and progress on bionic technology in identification on five tastes of Chinese materia medica / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Four properties and five tastes are the core content of medicinal theory of Chinese materia medica (CMM), and it is important for modern study of CMM to elucidate the scientific connotation of five tastes based on the application of bionic technology. With the development of bionic technology, electronic nose and electronic tongue have become the objective method to determine the taste and smell in recent years. Based on the taste and odour connotation of five tastes of CMM, the working principle, research method, and identification of flavor substances in CMM of electronic nose and electronic tongue were summarized, and the progress on original variety, production place, growth period, storage life and processing technology of CMM were reviewed in this article. Combined with the practice of our research group on the characterization of medicinal properties, the basic research model of the definition and characterization of the five tastes of effective materials basis was proposed, which would provide a reference method for the medicinal research on five tastes of CMM.