Effects Of Three Different Storage Methods On The Quality Of Fresh Ginseng

Limited by storage technology and the high cost of transportation,products of ginseng are mainly dried red ginseng and white ginseng.With the development of pharmaceutical industry,food industry and the improvement of life quality,fresh ginseng is becoming more popular among people and the demand for fresh ginseng is increasing.Therefore,to study the preservation technology of ginseng storage and physiological changes is of great significance to the ginseng industry.The research includes the following three parts:Fresh ginseng was irradiated with ⁶⁰Co-γor an electron beam at the dose of 2 and 4 kGy,and stored at 2℃.The quality of ginseng was evaluated after 60 and 120 d.Results suggested that during the 2 storage periods,the amounts of most of 9 ginsenosides decreased with an increase in the irradiation dose.The total saponin content of both ⁶⁰Co-γ–irradiated and EI-treated samples decreased with an increase in the irradiation dose.A significant difference was observed in the total concentration of nucleosides and nucleobases between irradiated and un-irradiated ginseng samples（P<0.05）.when the storage time was 120 d,2 kGy EI–treated ginseng had the lowest decay rate.Significant（P<0.05）up-regulation of total polysaccharide content was observed in the 4 kGy EI samples after storage.Samples irradiated at 2 kGy or 4 kGy by electron beam irradiation had the highest concentration of total saponin and ginseng polysaccharides.Ginseng irradiated at 4 kGy by ⁶⁰Co-γirradiation and stored for 120 d had a significantly higher activity of superoxide dismutase（P<0.05）.Levels of most 17 amino acids decreased with the increasing irradiation dose.Exposure to irradiation doses up to 4 kGy affected the amino acid content of fresh ginseng.These data suggested that the combination of a lower irradiation dose and low temperature was an optimal condition for extending the shelf-life of fresh ginseng without detriment to its ingredients.Effects of different packaging materials on quality of fresh ginseng during storage.Fresh ginseng was packaged with different materials（NIPRO packaging bags,Miaojie packaging bags,moss）and stored at 4℃ and 25℃.Results showed that when the storage time was 40 d,fresh ginseng decay rate in NIPRO packaging bags was lowest（3.32%）,followed by moss packaging（5.53%）,while non-packaged fresh ginseng had the highest decay rate（47.29%）at 4℃.Fresh ginseng stored with NIPRO packaging bags and moss had lower water loss rate（0.19%-1.89%）.The water loss rate of non-packaged fresh ginseng were13.5%and 18.5%at 4℃and 25℃,respectively,which were significantly higher than packaged fresh ginseng（P<0.05）.The results suggested that material A had better effects on ginseng polysaccharide and saponin content.Fresh ginseng stored with Miaojie packaging bags at 4℃ had a higher amino acid content.Material“Moss”was the best at maintaining enzyme activity.Unpackaged fresh ginseng had a lower proportion of active ingredients after storage.Fresh ginseng stored at 4℃ had higher active ingredient content than that at 25℃.Effects of different substrates on the low-temperature storage of fresh ginseng.Fresh ginseng was buried in three kinds of sand with different moisture contents and three kinds of soil and stored at 2℃ to determine the effect of these storage substrates on fresh ginseng.At a storage time of 200 d,ginseng stored in underforest soil softened the slowest and had significantly greater firmness than the other samples（P<0.05）.The amounts of most ginsenosides fluctuated after storage with most of the substrates.Samples stored in ginseng soil and biological fertilizer had the highest concentration of total saponin and ginseng polysaccharides,respectively.Fresh ginseng stored in medium-water-content sand had a significantly lower polyphenol oxidase activity（P<0.05）.A significant difference was observed in the total concentration of nucleosides and nucleobases between the ginseng samples stored with and without substrates（P<0.05）.These data suggested that the use of suitable storage substrates is an optimal method for extending the shelf-life of fresh ginseng without detrimental effects on its components.