Xing Junjia, Li Xue, Dang Wenyu, Yang Limin, Zhang Lianxue, Li Wei, Zhao Yan, Han Jiahong, Cai Enbo
College of Chinese Medicinal Material, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun 130118, China.
Foods. 2025 Aug 7;14(15):2753. doi: 10.3390/foods14152753.
Forest ginseng (FG) is a rare medicinal and culinary plant in China, and its drying quality is heavily dependent on the drying method. This study investigated the effects of traditional hot air drying (HAD) and the self-developed negative-pressure circulating airflow-assisted desiccator drying (PCAD) method on the quality of FG using metabolomics and enzyme activity. The results revealed that the enzyme activities of dried FG were reduced considerably. PCAD preserved higher enzyme activity than HAD. Metabolomics data demonstrate that HAD promotes the formation of primary metabolites (amino acids, lipids, nucleotides, etc.), whereas PCAD promotes the formation of secondary metabolites (terpenoids, phenolic acids, etc.). A change-transformation network was built by combining the metabolites listed above and their biosynthetic pathways, and it was discovered that these biosynthetic pathways were primarily associated with the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, lipid metabolism, phenylpropane biosynthesis, and nucleotide metabolism. It is also believed that these findings are related to the chemical stimulation induced by thermal degradation and the ongoing catalysis of enzyme responses to drought stress. The facts presented above will give a scientific basis for the selection of FG drying processes, as well as helpful references for increasing the nutritional quality of processed FG.
林下参是中国一种珍稀的药用和食用植物，其干燥品质在很大程度上取决于干燥方法。本研究采用代谢组学和酶活性分析方法，研究了传统热风干燥（HAD）和自行研制的负压循环气流辅助干燥器干燥（PCAD）方法对林下参品质的影响。结果表明，干燥林下参的酶活性显著降低。PCAD比HAD保留了更高的酶活性。代谢组学数据表明，HAD促进初级代谢产物（氨基酸、脂质、核苷酸等）的形成，而PCAD促进次级代谢产物（萜类、酚酸等）的形成。通过结合上述代谢产物及其生物合成途径构建了一个变化-转化网络，发现这些生物合成途径主要与甲羟戊酸（MVA）途径、脂质代谢、苯丙烷生物合成和核苷酸代谢有关。研究还认为，这些发现与热降解引起的化学刺激以及酶对干旱胁迫的持续催化作用有关。上述事实将为林下参干燥工艺的选择提供科学依据，也为提高加工林下参的营养品质提供有益参考。
