Volatile components are important active ingredients of Rutaceae. In this study, HS-GC-IMS (headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry) was used to study the volatile compounds of Qu Aurantii Fructus, and a total of 174 peaks were detected, 102 volatile organic compounds (131 peaks) were identified. To compare the volatile compounds of Qu Aurantii Fructus with its similar medical herb, Aurantii Fructus, and their common adulterants, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were performed based on the signal intensity of all the detected peaks. The results showed that Qu Aurantii Fructus and Aurantii Fructus (Citrus aurantium L.) were clustered into one group, while their common adulterants could be well distinguished in a relatively independent space. In order to distinguish Qu Aurantii Fructus from Aurantii Fructus, the peaks other than the average intensity ±2 standard deviation (95% confidence interval) were taken as the characteristic components by using the Gallery Plot plug-in software. Additionally, the fingerprint method was established based on the characteristic compounds, which can be used to distinguish among Qu Aurantii Fructus, Aurantii Fructus and their common adulterants quickly and effectively. We found that the characteristic components with higher content of Qu Aurantii Fructus were nerol, decanal, coumarin and linalool. This study provides a novel method for rapid and effective identification of Qu Aurantii Fructus and a new dimension to recognize the relationship between Qu Aurantii Fructus and Aurantii Fructus.
Keywords: Aurantii Fructus; HS-GC-IMS; Qu Aurantii Fructus; adulterants; fingerprint.