Cinnamomum osmophloeum, an endemic edible species in Taiwan, is ceaselessly misidentified because the invasive C. burmannii in business merchandise. This examine developed a DNA-based identification system utilizing chloroplast insertion/deletion (indel) markers, supported by chemical profiling. The comparative evaluation of chloroplast genomes between C. osmophloeum and different cinnamon species, yielding 15 indel loci, of which 14 have been polymorphic and 6 revealed intraspecific variation. Eight validated indel markers have been additional used to discriminate cinnamon species. Unstable profiles analyzed by SPME–GC/MS confirmed that cinnamaldehyde and linalool dominated in C. osmophloeum, whereas borneol and eucalyptol characterised C. burmannii. Utility to seven business merchandise revealed that 5 merchandise matched C. osmophloeum genotypes, in line with labeling. These outcomes show that chloroplast indel markers present a sturdy and fast instrument for cinnamon authentication, whereas chemical profiling serves as a complementary strategy for species discrimination.
