Abstract: Sanqi (Radix Notoginseng) is one of the main traditional Chinese herbal medicines with great medicinal value. Drying has been shown as one of the important factors that influence the quality of Sanqi. In this study, the influence of freeze vacuum drying, hot air drying and vacuum drying on ginsenoside Rg1 content and sensory characteristics of Sanqi was compared. The ginsenoside Rg1 content of freeze vacuum-dried Sanqi was 2.37%, revealing a considerable increase when compared with vacuum-dried Sanqi and hot air-dried Sanqi. Moreover, freeze vacuum-dried Sanqi with a yellow-white, glossy, smooth and non-crack surface and a light weight, a very strong medicinal smell and a high crispness, leading to ease of breaking into pieces during packaging and distribution, scored much higher than vacuum dried Sanqi and hot air-dried Sanqi in sensory scores for overall quality characteristics. Vacuum-dried Sanqi and hot air-dried Sanqi showed a significant difference in ginsenoside Rg1 content with respective values of 1.30% and 1.11%, but no significant difference was observed in sensory scores for overall quality characteristics. Collectively, these results suggest that freeze vacuum drying allows better Sanqi quality.

Key words: Sanqi (Radix Notoginseng), drying method, active ingredient, sensory characteristics