Comparison of volatile organic compounds in different parts of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. via E-nose, GC-IMS, and multivariate statistical analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (H. cordata) is a well-known medicinal and edible plant extensively utilized in Asia. The different parts of H. cordata, including its leaves, stems, and rhizomes, possess distinct functionalities and clinical applications. METHODS: This study systematically compared and analyzed the composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in three different parts of H. cordata using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and Heracles NEO ultra-fast gas phase electronic nose (E-nose) complemented by multivariate statistical analysis. RESULTS: The results from E-nose and GC-IMS revealed significant variations in the composition and peak intensity of VOCs among the different parts of H. cordata. Notably, the differences in VOCs and odor between the leaves and stems were minimal. 63 signal peaks were detected, and 55 VOCs were tentatively identified via GC-IMS, with terpenes constituting the largest proportion. Through the application of partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), cluster analysis (CA), and the variable importance in projection (VIP) method for feature selection, 16 VOCs were identified as capable of effectively distinguishing the different parts of H. cordata.. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the effectiveness of combining GC-IMS with E-nose technology to detect VOCs in different parts of H. cordata, establishing a theoretical basis for resource development.