Promising results from trials exploring the potential to grow Chinese medicinal herbs in Tasmania have paved the way for the next phase of research, now expanding to include sensory testing which is an essential factor in determining high-quality products.
As part of the Research Hub for Traditional Chinese Herbs , the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) has been undertaking research trials since 2019 to explore the practicality and suitability of growing traditional Chinese medicinal herbs in Tasmania. It's a valuable global industry worth an estimated $130 billion a year.
The Hub is a collaboration with partners AEMG Education, W&E Health and Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine.
The research team is investigating seven potential traditional Chinese medicinal herb crops for Tasmania and whether they can be grown here to the required quality specifications. One of the crops is Mongolian Milkvetch (Astragalus), which is being grown at TIA's Vegetable Research Facility at Forthside. Initial studies have found that Astragalus is suited to Tasmanian growing conditions. The research team is now looking at practical questions, like soil preparation, planting density, irrigation, nutrition, and pest and disease management.
Research trials are expanding to measure the sensory characteristics of Chinese medicinal herbs grown in Tasmania, such as aroma, which is vital to producing a high-quality product. In an exciting new development, researchers at TIA recently put a selection of Tasmanian grown traditional Chinese medicinal herbs (Perilla) to the test with some rigorous sensory testing using GCMS-olfactometry.
This technique enables researchers to identify which specific chemicals are responsible for particular aromas. It's widely used across products such as food, wine, and coffee, and is now being applied to traditional Chinese medicinal herbs.
TIA PhD Candidate, Yufei Wu, used this specialised equipment at The Shed at the University of Tasmania's Inveresk Campus to demonstrate that Tasmanian grown product meets the high-quality demanded of Chinese medicinal herb products.
TIA's Food Safety and Innovation Centre Leader, Professor Rob Shellie, explains further.
"First, the sample is heated so its smell giving chemicals turn into a gas. These chemicals are then separated one by one. As each chemical is separated, they are split into two parts. One part goes to a detector that tells us what the chemical is and how much of it is present. The other part goes to a small sniffing port, where a trained person smells it," Professor Shellie said.
"As the person smells each chemical, they describe what it smells like. For example, it could be fruity, grassy or smoky, and how strong the smell is.
"By matching the human nose's response with the instrument's chemical data, we can identify which specific compounds are responsible for the smells we notice. The technology allows us to separate the compounds and help us analyse the aroma compounds of each sample."
Leader of the Research Hub, Professor Dugald Close, said GCMS-olfactometry is an important technology to use to assess the quality of herbs grown in Tasmania.
"We are confident that we can grow a good quality product in Tasmania. We've found that our soils and climate are suitable for growing a product that meets the sought after bio-actives," Professor Close said.
"Aroma is another way to prove to the market and consumers that our product is of the very best quality. We aim to demonstrate that Tasmanian product reaches exceptionally high standards.
"There are estimates that the global industry will almost double in the next 10 years so there's great potential for Tasmania to play a role in the expansion of what is already a very large industry."
It's hoped this research could kickstart a new agricultural industry for the state based on production and processing of premium quality medicinal herbs.
