Justification of anatomical- and morphological criteria for the plant origin food products identification and quality

• Main Authors: A. Ya. Tamahina, I. Sh. Dzahmisheva
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Voronezh state university of engineering technologies 2019-11-01
• Series: Vestnik Voronežskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta Inženernyh Tehnologij
• Subjects: laurel leaf, cherry laurel, long leaf black tea, identification, falsification, quality, anatomical- and morphological criteria
• Online Access: https://www.vestnik-vsuet.ru/vguit/article/view/2186

Interest in the development of anatomical and morphological authenticity criteria of a number of food products of plant origin is growing due to their falsification. A fairly common falsification is the substitution of laurel noble leaves (Laurus nobilis L.) with similarly alike leaves of medicinal laurel cherries (Laurocerasus officinalis M. Roem.), full or partial replacement of long leaf tea with vegetative organs of other families plants. The microscopy method in combination with histochemical reactions to biologically active substances can become promising not only for identification, but also for assessing the quality of individual food products of plant origin. The aim of the study was to develop anatomical and morphological criteria for the identification and quality of food products of plant origin on the example of black long leaf tea and laurel leaf. Diagnostic features allowing identification and detection of laurel leaf falsification by cherryl leaves are leaf area, stomatal apparatus type, number and location of essential oil containers, tannins localization, calcium oxalate crystals shape and location. The criterion for qualimetric identification of laurel leaf is the number of calcium oxalate crystals and the filling of containers with essential oil. A strong positive link between the number of filled essential oil containers and the content of essential oil in the leaves were established. A diagnostic feature of tea leaf is the presence of idioblasts. It is advisable to use the number of idioblasts, hairs and drusen of calcium oxalate crystals per unit area to identify, detect outgrowing, assess the degree of maturity of the tea leaf and the quality of black tea, the value of which is associated with the content of water-soluble extractive substances and tannin..