Objective To establish a detection method that combines the appearance characteristics (color, odor, taste) and internal chemical components of Baihe (Lilii Bulbus) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the overall quality of lily medicinal materials. Methods Using intelligent sensory technology to detect the color, odor, and taste of 15 batches Lilii Bulbus from the perspectives of vision, smell, and taste. At the same time, HPLC fingerprint spectra and multi-index content determinations were established to compare the content differences of specific components (regaloside C, regaloside A, 2-acetate regaloside A and regaloside E) among medicinal materials from the perspective of chemical composition. Multivariate statistical analysis methods such as hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were used to analyze the color, odor, taste, and fingerprint spectra of Lilii Bulbus from different origins, and screen for differential components. Pearson correlation analysis was used to reveal the correlation between appearance color, odor, taste, and exclusive ingredients. Results The results of the colorimeter showed that the colors of the 15 batches of Lilii Bulbus medicinal materials were all bright white and lighter, and Zhejiang and Hunan were whiter than those of Jiangsu. The electronic nose analysis results indicated that sensors W3S, W5C, W6S, and W1S, corresponding to 15 batches of Lilii Bulbus medicinal materials contained relatively high levels of alkanes and aromatic compounds. However, Zhejiang Lilii Bulbus also exhibited elevated hydrides. Electronic tongue results revealed that all taste indicators showed obvious responses except sourness. Intelligent sensory analysis demonstrated that Lilii Bulbus from different regions exhibited significant differences in color, odor and taste. A total of 15 common peaks were identified in the fingerprint spectra. Content determination results indicated obvious quality differences among Lilii Bulbus samples from different origins. Among them, Peak 13, peak 6 (regaloside A) and peak 11 (regaloside E) were the main marker components causing compositional differences of Lilii Bulbus from different producing areas. The correlation analysis results indicated that yellow blue chromaticity(b^*), total color value(E^*ab), W1S, W6S, sweetness, astringency, aftertaste-A in Lilii Bulbus were correlated with regaloside C, regaloside A, 2-acetate regaloside A and regaloside E. Conclusion The method of integrating intelligent sensory technology with chemical composition research for comprehensive quality evaluation of Lilii Bulbus medicinal materials is feasible. It can be used to evaluate the comprehensive quality of Lilii Bulbus from different origins, providing reference for the quality control and application of Lilii Bulbus.

Lilii Bulbus  /  comprehensive quality evaluation  /  quality evaluation through morphological identification  /  intelligent sensory technology  /  HPLC  /  multivariate statistical analysis  /  regaloside C  /  regaloside A  /  2-acetate regaloside A  /  regaloside E