State Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Powder and Medicine Innovation in Hunan (Incubation), Science and Technology Innovation Center, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, China.
Molecules. 2024 Nov 5;29(22):5235. doi: 10.3390/molecules29225235.
Ginseng ( C. A. Meyer) is a valuable plant resource which has been used for centuries as both food and traditional Chinese medicine. It is popular in health research and markets globally. Fresh ginseng has a high moisture content and is prone to mold and rot, reducing its nutritional value without proper preservation. Drying treatments are effective for maintaining the beneficial properties of ginseng post-harvest. In this study, we investigated the effects of natural air drying (ND), hot-air drying (HAD), vacuum drying (VD), microwave vacuum drying (MVD), and vacuum freeze drying (VFD) on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ginseng. The results showed that the MVD time was the shortest, followed by the VFD, VD, and HAD times, whereas the ND time was the longest, but the VFD is the most beneficial to the appearance and color retention of ginseng. A total of 72 VOCs were obtained and 68 VOCs were identified using the five drying methods based on gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) technology, including 23 aldehydes, 19 alkenes, 10 alcohols, 10 ketones, 4 esters, 1 furan, and 1 pyrazine, and the ND method was the best for retaining VOCs. GC-IMS fingerprints, principal component analysis (PCA), Euclidean distance analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and cluster analysis (CA) can distinguish ginseng from different drying methods. A total of 29 VOCs can be used as the main characteristic markers of different drying methods in ginseng. Overall, our findings provide scientific theoretical guidance for optimizing ginseng's drying methods, aromatic health effects, and flavor quality research.
人参（C. A. Meyer）是一种有价值的植物资源，作为食物和传统中药已有数百年的历史。它在全球的健康研究和市场中都很受欢迎。新鲜人参水分含量高，容易发霉腐烂，如不妥善保存，其营养价值会降低。干燥处理对于收获后保持人参的有益特性非常有效。在这项研究中，我们研究了自然空气干燥（ND）、热空气干燥（HAD）、真空干燥（VD）、微波真空干燥（MVD）和真空冷冻干燥（VFD）对人参中挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）的影响。结果表明，MVD 的时间最短，其次是 VFD、VD 和 HAD，而 ND 的时间最长，但 VFD 最有利于人参的外观和颜色保持。使用气相色谱-离子迁移谱（GC-IMS）技术，通过五种干燥方法共获得 72 种 VOCs，鉴定出 68 种 VOCs，包括 23 种醛、19 种烯烃、10 种醇、10 种酮、4 种酯、1 种呋喃和 1 种吡嗪，其中 ND 方法最有利于保留 VOCs。GC-IMS 指纹图谱、主成分分析（PCA）、欧几里得距离分析、偏最小二乘判别分析（PLS-DA）和聚类分析（CA）可以区分不同干燥方法的人参。共有 29 种 VOC 可以作为不同干燥方法的人参主要特征标记物。总的来说，我们的研究结果为优化人参干燥方法、芳香健康效应和风味质量研究提供了科学的理论指导。
