Abstract:

Objective: To investigate the effects of decoction in aqueous solutions of monosaccharide, disaccharide or
polysaccharide on chemical constituents of powder ginseng roots. Methods: High performance liquid chromatography
(HPLC), phenol-sulfuric acid and Folin-Ciocalteu methods were adopted respectively to determine the contents of
ginsenosides, soluble sugars and total phenolics in raw ginseng roots and the ones decocted in pure water and aqueous
sugar solutions. Results: Ginsenosides F1, F2 and Rg3, compound K and the total content of 16 ginsenosides in ginseng
roots increased significantly after being decocted in sugar solutions. The contents of soluble sugars and total phenolics in
all three sugar treatment groups were significantly higher than in raw samples and all these groups except for xylitol were
higher in soluble sugars than the water decoction. Besides, the contents of total phenolics in the samples decocted separately
with glucose, maltose, sucrose, brown sugar, aspartame and chondroitin sulfate were significantly higher than in the water
decoction (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The presence of sugar in decoction water could increase the concentrations of rare
ginsenosides, soluble sugars and total phenolics from ginseng roots.

Key words: Panax ginseng, sugar, processing, chemical components