Universality and Mechanism Explanation of the Three-Dimensional Evaluation Rules for Natural Bias of Plant-Derived Food Materials

Objective: To address the problems of insufficient universality and ambiguous mechanism explanations in the current evaluation system for the natural bias of plant-derived food materials, this study verified the adaptability of the three-dimensional evaluation rules, analyzed the synergistic regulatory mechanism of nature bias formation, and improved its standardized evaluation system on the basis of the previously established “environment–metabolism–growth” three-dimensional evaluation system. Methods: A total of 975 plant-derived samples (including 412 daily food materials, 563 Chinese medicinal materials, and 163 special groups) integrated from public databases and authoritative literature were selected as research objects, and 934 valid samples were obtained after screening. Pearson correlation analysis, partial correlation analysis, simple linear regression (including 10-fold cross-validation) and other methods were used to verify the adaptability of the three-dimensional evaluation rules combined with public metabolic and habitat data; moreover, the synergistic regulatory mechanism of natural bias was analyzed on the basis of plant physiology theory. Results: The three-dimensional evaluation results showed good adaptability, with a consistency rate of 97.2% for 781 valid common plant samples and 92.5% for 153 valid special group samples after correction. The correlations among the environment, metabolism, and nature bias were stable: soil moisture was strongly negatively correlated with the flavonoid content (correlation coefficient r=-0.82, significance P<0.001), and annual sunshine duration was strongly positively correlated with the volatile oil and 6-gingerol contents (correlation coefficients r=0.75 and 0.70, respectively, with significance P<0.001 for both). 6-Gingerol was the core component of Yang tendency (coefficient of determination R²=0.88), and the coverage of the evaluation system was more comprehensive after the quantitative dimension of this Yang tendency component was improved. Limitations: Due to the constraints of public data, the proportion of samples from extreme habitats such as high altitudes (>5000 m) and deep seas (>1000 m) is low (only 18.2%), which may affect the verification accuracy of adaptability in extreme scenarios; the lack of metabolic difference data among different genotypes of the same species in public databases prevents in-depth analysis of the regulatory effect of genotype on natural bias. Conclusions: The “environment–metabolism–growth” three-dimensional evaluation rules have strong universality and clear regulatory mechanisms. The system constructed on the basis of public data can provide a standardized basis for TCM dietary therapy and quality evaluation of medicinal plants and offer a standardized path for the evaluation of the natural bias of plant-derived food materials in the context of TCM modernization.