DNA 바코드 분석을 통한 한약 및 식품원료로 사용되는 감나무속 식물 유전자 감별법 개발

Objective: The leaves, fruits, and calyx of persimmon have been used as food ingredients, dietary supplements, and herbal medicines. In the Korean Herbal Pharmacopoeia, Kaki Calyx is described solely as the calyx of Diospyros kaki L.f. According to the Korean Food Standards Codex, the fruits and leaves of D. kaki or D. lotus, and fruits of D. virginiana or D. malabarica, are permitted for use as food ingredients and dietary supplements. However, the leaves and calyx of D. lotus have been frequently adulterated as authentic herbal medicine and resources for dietary supplements. To develop a reliable genetic identification method to distinguish these Diospyros species, we analyzed universal DNA barcode sequences. Methods: To obtain the matK and rbcL sequences of Diospyros species, PCR amplification and sequencing were carried out for D. kaki and D. lotus, and GenBank data were analyzed for D. virginiana and D. malabarica. To identify species-specific nucleotide sequences, the entire matK and rbcL DNA barcode sequences were comparatively analyzed using ClustalW. Results: We identified several species-specific marker nucleotide sequences unique to each Diospyros species, enabling their distinct identification. Additionally, we confirmed the species identification ability of DNA barcode sequences using raw materials distributed in the markets. These results indicate that the matK and rbcL sequences provide useful genetic information to identify Diospyros species. Conclusions: We successfully developed distinct molecular markers useful for Diospyros species, allowing their differentiation based on two universal DNA barcode sequences. Therefore, the matK and rbcL sequences are significant as valuable tools for authenticating Diospyros species, including Kaki Calyx.