We developed portable test kits for assessing the quality of raw materials for the medicinal plant industry. The test kits and an Android mobile app can evaluate the dried leaves through their water activity (Aw) and plant extract profile (PEP). An innovative water activity sensor was fabricated using an inorganic-organic hybrid polymer with immobilized Co2+ as the colorimetric agent. The sensor changes its color depending on the relative humidity of the closed space. The behavior of the sensor was mathematically characterized to extract an equation to calculate the Aw of a material inside the closed space. The equation can estimate the Aw of a material from 0.5 to 1.0, a range that is important for monitoring the safety of foods. For the PEP, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was used to characterize the ethanolic plant extract. The TLC fingerprints were used as bases for examining the quality and authenticity of the raw materials.

Field-ready quality assurance test kits and mobile app for the contract farming medicinal plant industry

254th National Meeting (2017)

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