苦味成分不仅是中药主要的呈味物质，也是重要的药效物质。但由于中药苦味成分的多样性与结构相似性，苦味成分的靶向分离与示踪难度大，单一苦味成分与中药整体呈味特征有偏差，使很多中药苦味成分仍有待深入解析。通过对传统的逐级分离与分析方法进行总结，介绍了推测苦味来源、定位苦味部位、鉴定苦味成分、验证苦味成分等研究方法；梳理了基于本草学知识、基于苦味成分结构相似性、基于苦味受体结合等苦味成分发现策略及数据挖掘、计算机辅助、生物靶向定位等新技术；提出了谱-味关联分析等苦味成分发现新思路，为更加快速、精准地发现中药苦味成分，推动中药苦味成分解析进程。

Bitter components are not only the main taste substances in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), but also important pharmacodynamic substances. However, due to the diversity and structural similarity of bitter components in TCM, the targeted separation and tracing of bitter components are difficult, and there is deviation between a single bitter composition and the overall taste characteristics of TCM, bitter components of many TCM still need to be further analyzed. Therefore, this article summarized traditional stepwise separation and analysis methods, introduced research methods such as predicting the source of bitter components, locating bitter parts, identifying bitter components, and verifying bitter components. The discovery strategies of bitter components based on knowledge of herbal medicine, structural similarity of bitter compositions, binding of bitter receptors, as well as new technologies such as data mining, computer-aided, and biological targeted localization were arranged. In order to discover the bitter components of TCM more quickly and accurately and promote the analysis of bitter substances in TCM, a new method for the discovery of bitter components such as spectrum-taste correlation analysis was put forward.

国家自然科学基金资助项目（82173991）；四川省重点研发计划项目（2022YFS0431，2022YFS0442）