A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Development for Authentication and Detection of Adulteration of Garcinia atroviridis Griff. ex T.Anderson

Garcinia atroviridis Griff. ex T.Anderson is a traditional medicinal plant in Indone-sia, highly valued for its fruit as a spice and an anti-obesity herbal ingredient due to its rich content of organic acids and secondary metabolites (e.g., hydroxycitric acid, flavonoids). Its popularity and morphological similarities to congeners, such as G. cowa and G. xanthochymus, make its raw materials highly susceptible to accidental or intentional adulteration, a problem exacerbated by the confusing use of similar lo-cal names such as asam gelugur and asam kandis. This study utilised a comprehen-sive bibliometric analysis of 142 documents published between 1997 and 2024 to explore the research landscape concerning authentication and adulteration detec-tion for G. atroviridis and the wider Garcinia genus. The results indicate that while research activity on G. atroviridis is increasing and revealed no existing studies spe-cifically focused on the authentication and adulteration detection of G. atroviridis raw materials. General authentication methods for medicinal plants include mor-phological characterisation, phytochemical profiling (e.g., spectroscopy), and genet-ic analysis using DNA molecular markers. These methods, including DNA barcod-ing, have been successfully applied to other Garcinia species (e.g., G. cambogia, G. indica) but not yet been applied to G. atroviridis. Therefore, to resolve the existing identity confusion and ensure raw material quality, an integrated authentication strategy is strongly recommended. This approach should combine traditional meth-ods with advanced and precise DNA-based techniques such as DNA barcoding, High-Resolution Melting (HRM) analysis, and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) to reliably distinguish G. atroviridis from its potential adulterants. © 2026, J. Tropical Biodiversity Biotechnology.