Production of bioactive ginsenoside Rg3(S) and compound K using recombinant .

BACKGROUND

Ginsenoside Rg3(S) and compound K (C-K) are pharmacologically active components of ginseng that promote human health and improve quality of life. The aim of this study was to produce Rg3(S) and C-K from ginseng extract using recombinant .

METHODS

subsp. NZ9000 ( NZ9000), which harbors β-glucosidase genes ( and ) from and , respectively, was reacted with ginseng extract (protopanaxadiol-type ginsenoside mixture).

RESULTS

Crude enzyme activity of BglBX10 values comprised 0.001 unit/mL and 0.003 unit/mL in uninduced and induced preparations, respectively. When whole cells of harboring pNZBglBX10 were treated with ginseng extract, after permeabilization of cells by xylene, Rb1 and Rd were converted into Rg3(S) with a conversion yield of 61%. C-K was also produced by sequential reactions of the permeabilized cells harboring each pNZBgl and pNZBglBX10, resulting in a 70% maximum conversion yield.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that the lactic acid bacteria having specific β-glucosidase activity can be used to enhance the health benefits of in either fermented foods or bioconversion processes.