A Chemometric Approach for the Quality Control of Trigonella foenum-graecum (Family Fabaceae) Seeds

Abstract

Herbal products have been increasingly used worldwide for ages due to their availability and the familiar concept of their considerable safety. Herbal products are complex multicomponent mixtures that possess a high risk of adulteration and contamination. Despite the continuous use of herbal plants, quality control of these plants remains challenging throughout time. This may be attributed to the complexity of its phytochemical constituents, which requires sophisticated methods for its analysis and hence its quality control. Herbal formulations are not officially recognized due to the lack of an adequate process of standardization and evaluation. Due to the high number of variables affecting the quality control of herbal products, so multivariate analysis is the best tool to find patterns and relationships between these several variables. Within the Fabaceae family of about 727 genera, fenugreek is one of its members. Concerning the number of species of this family, it comprises approximately 19,325 species. Fenugreek is an angiosperm, herbaceous and annual plant, divided into around 260 species. It is extensively distributed as a food crop throughout India, the Mediterranean region, North Africa, and Yemen. It has many traditional uses in treating digestive disorders, antidiabetic activity, carminative, tonic, aphrodisiac effects, hypocholesterolaemic, and anti-bacterial activities. It has many studied biological activities as anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, gastroprotective, cardioprotective, and others. It is widely used in Egypt as a spice, flavor, and medicinal herb for different diseases.

This study aimed to develop an accurate model for the quality control of fenugreek using the chromatographic method and spectroscopic methods coupled with chemometrics. The ability of the model to differentiate between fenugreek from different origins was investigated. In addition, we explored the antidiabetic activity of all samples used in the