Optimization of Rare Ginsenosides and Antioxidant Activity Quality of Ginseng Jiaosu Based on Probiotic Strains and Fermentation Technology

Abstract

The primary active components of plant ginseng are saponins, and rare saponins play a specific antitumor action. In this study, Lactobacillus that can efficiently transform rare saponins were screened as fermentation strains of ginseng enzymes. The fermentation process was optimized to investigate the changes in various biochemical indicators and antioxidant activities of the enzymes before and after fermentation. The results showed that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum had the highest conversion efficiency for diol saponins, among which the content of rare ginsenoside-CK increased by 256%. The optimum optimizing method was a 1 : 1 : 10 ratio of ginseng extract/concentrated apple juice/water, fermentation time of 16 days, initial pH of 6.0, fermentation temperature of 37°C, and sterilization amount of 1.0%. The contents of rare ginsenoside-Rh1, ginsenoside-F2, ginsenoside-Rg3, and ginsenoside-CK increased by 18.48%, 135.73%, 343.03%, and 441.80%, respectively, and the process was stable and controllable. After fermentation, the scavenging rates for hydroxyl radical, DPPH radical, and superoxide anion radical were increased by more than 9%, and new organic acids were produced. In general, this study established an efficient, stable, and controllable ginseng fermentation process to improve the rare saponin content and biological activity of ginseng enzymes, which can provide new ideas for traditional Chinese medicine and medicinal health food in China.

Optimization of Antioxidant Activity of Compounds Generated during Ginseng Extract Fermentation Supplemented with Lactobacillus

“…This enzyme may have catalyzed the conversion of bound flavonoids in the fermentation liquid into free-form flavonoids [39], which would have resulted in a relatively constant level of flavonoids in the fermentation liquid. This result is similar to that of Xu et al [29].…”

“…Lee et al [ 28 ] found that fermentation can improve the antioxidant activity of ginseng when studying the antioxidant effect of fermentation on ginseng, which is consistent with the results of this experiment. Xu et al [ 29 ] found that LAB can produce certain active substances during metabolism, which efficiently scavenge free radicals extracellularly. This may explain the increase in antioxidant activity observed as a result of ginseng fermentation.…”

Effect of Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermentation on Plant-Based Products

“…Research by Xu et al demonstrated that fermentation by L. plantarum enhances the conversion efficiency of diol saponins and increases the content of rare ginseng saponin-CK by 256%. This further confirms the ability of lactobacilli fermentation to enhance anti-tumor functionality through the bio-transformation of active substances [127].…”