LAUSR

BACKGROUND Fresh ginseng was buried in three kinds of sand with different moisture contents and three kinds of soil and stored at 2°C to determine the effects of these storage substrates on fresh ginseng. RESULTS At a storage time of 200 d, ginseng stored in underforest soil softened the most slowly and had significantly greater firmness than the other samples did (P < 0.05). The amounts of most ginsenosides changed 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). CONCLUSION These data suggest that the use of storage substrates is an optimal method for extending the shelf life of fresh ginseng without detrimental effects on its components. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.