Change of ginsenoside profiles in processed ginsengs by drying, steaming, and puffing.

Korean ginseng ( Panax ginseng Meyer) was processed by drying, steaming, or puffing, and the effects of these processes on the ginsenoside profile were investigated. The main root of 4-year-old raw Korean ginseng was dried to produce white ginseng. Steaming, followed by drying, was employed to produce red or black ginsengs. In addition, these three processed ginsengs were puffed using a rotational puffing gun. Puffed ginsengs showed significantly higher extraction yields (49.87-58.60 g solid extract/100 g of sample) and crude saponin contents (59.40-63.87 mg saponin/g of dried ginseng) than non-puffed ginsengs, respectively. Moreover, puffing effectively transformed major ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, and Rg1) of ginsengs into minor ones (F2, Rg3, Rk1, and Rg5), comparable to the steaming process effects on the levels of the transformed ginsenosides. However, steaming takes much longer (4 to 36 days) than puffing (less than 30 min) for ginsenoside transformation. Consequently, puffing may be an effective and economical technique for enhancing the extraction yield and levels of minor ginsenosides responsible for the major biological activities of ginseng.