- Plant identification to meet societal needs
- DNA and chemical identification of traded products
Humans interact with plant species as part of day-to-day life. This includes our food, medicines, clothing, furniture and a range of other products. Knowing which plant species are present in these consumer products is important to determine if they are safe, suitable, being traded legally, or even whether they appropriately priced. However, as the material in consumer products is generally processed in one way or another it can be difficult to identify by appearance alone.
We develop and apply methods to support these societal needs for plant identification. Our primary focus in the use of DNA barcoding for species identification, including authentication of species in horticultural trade and undertaking authentication of herbal medicines and dietary supplements.
Verification of nursery stock: screening more than 130 samples sold as the UK native wild apple Malus sylvestris by various nurseries throughout the UK, revealed that a large proportion of the assayed samples was either of hybrid or exotic origin.
See Ruhsam, M., Renny, J. and Worrell, R., 2023. Verification of wild apple (Malus sylvestris) nursery stock sold in the United Kingdom. Plants, People, Planet, 5(2), pp.203-208. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10345
Authentication of herbal supplements: our study on two popular herbal supplements (Eleutherococcus senticosus - Siberian ginseng and Rhodiola rosea - roseroot) showed evidence for a substantial level of substitution/mixing of the target medicinal ingredient.
See Ruhsam M, Hollingsworth PM (2018) Authentication of Eleutherococcus and Rhodiola herbal supplement products in the United Kingdom. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 149, 403-409. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0731708517312499
For more information contact Dr Markus Ruhsam