Articles
DISCUSSIONS ON VARIOUS THEORIES RELEVANT TO GINSENG FOOD
Article number
770_11
Pages
105 – 115
Language
English
Abstract
Ginseng has been often used in medical prescriptions since the millennia.
It belongs to the upper class medicine group, equivalent to the functional food in the cultural concept of food and medicine.
The role of ginseng in traditional medicinal prescriptions was mostly to support body functions of patients, indicating that ginseng is similarly used as functional food.
At present, most of ginseng (90%) is consumed as food followed by medicinal prescription (less than 10%). This fact elucidates that the old concept on ginseng did not change in food culture.
The functional system of ginseng as the ubiquitous functional food seems to be multi-compound, multi-target mode rather than monocompound-monotarget.
Traditional quality measures are well in accordance with soluble nitrogen compound (specially heat stable peptides) theory but against saponin (ginsenoside) theory.
Even for medicinal purpose, soluble protein should be considered according to the original concept of ginseng.
Under the medicinal view, ginsenosides are generally accepted as the major effective components since much have been known about their pharmacological function than any other compounds.
Various ginsenoside-based products by thermal, hydrothermal, high pressure puffing, enzymatic, acidic and alkaline decomposition and microbial (intestinal) transformation of ginsenosides should be considered and assessed free from the traditional concept of ginseng efficacy.
The traditional quality factors of ginseng as food are: genetic property, production place, age, size (weight), and shape.
The cell or tissue cultured ginseng satisfy only one factor which is the genetic property.
Development of ginseng cultivation technology will facilitate the advancement of ginseng to be an ubiquitous food.
It belongs to the upper class medicine group, equivalent to the functional food in the cultural concept of food and medicine.
The role of ginseng in traditional medicinal prescriptions was mostly to support body functions of patients, indicating that ginseng is similarly used as functional food.
At present, most of ginseng (90%) is consumed as food followed by medicinal prescription (less than 10%). This fact elucidates that the old concept on ginseng did not change in food culture.
The functional system of ginseng as the ubiquitous functional food seems to be multi-compound, multi-target mode rather than monocompound-monotarget.
Traditional quality measures are well in accordance with soluble nitrogen compound (specially heat stable peptides) theory but against saponin (ginsenoside) theory.
Even for medicinal purpose, soluble protein should be considered according to the original concept of ginseng.
Under the medicinal view, ginsenosides are generally accepted as the major effective components since much have been known about their pharmacological function than any other compounds.
Various ginsenoside-based products by thermal, hydrothermal, high pressure puffing, enzymatic, acidic and alkaline decomposition and microbial (intestinal) transformation of ginsenosides should be considered and assessed free from the traditional concept of ginseng efficacy.
The traditional quality factors of ginseng as food are: genetic property, production place, age, size (weight), and shape.
The cell or tissue cultured ginseng satisfy only one factor which is the genetic property.
Development of ginseng cultivation technology will facilitate the advancement of ginseng to be an ubiquitous food.
Authors
Hoon Park, Ae Kyung Park
Keywords
Panax ginseng, functional food, soluble peptides, ginsenosides, multicompound-multitarget mode
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