An Infrared Analysis of Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell [Combretaceae] Fruit and Leaves—Towards the Development of Biospectroscopy Tools to Characterise Uniquely Australian Foods

Knowledge about the inherent complexity of the composition, nutrition, and physiology of different plant tissues and parts is required as this will allow for the discovery of new or improved properties (e.g. new bioactive compounds with health-benefitting activities, antimicrobial substances to reduce food spoilage activity). This paper reports the use, analysis and interpretation of the mid-infrared spectra of different plant parts (fruits and leaves) from an Australian native tropical plant, Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell [Combretaceae]. The use of infrared spectroscopy together with chemometric techniques will allow to obtain different levels of information about the chemical composition of leaf and fruit samples associated with maturity. Freeze-dried powder and puree of Terminalia ferdinandiana is commercially available as a functional food ingredient, whereas leaves or any other tissues are not considered as functional ingredients. The use of mid-infrared spectroscopy can provide an initial screening tool for the discovery and development of new ingredients and products. This technology can be an easy to use, cost-effective and high throughout method to ensure quality and authenticity of food products throughout the value chain. The incorporation of these techniques might be considered the base of bio spectroscopy analysis as proxies to study tropical species with distinctive bioactive properties and nutritional value such as Terminalia ferdinandiana.