Transformation of Panax notoginseng saponins by steaming and Trichoderma longibrachiatum

摘要

ABSTRACT Panax notoginseng has been used for medicinal purposes in China for many years. Saponins are believed to be the major bioactive ingredients in P . notoginseng. Two different processes, steaming and biotransformation, were used to study the transformations of saponins in P . notoginseng . During an 8-h steaming process, the ginsenosides Rb1, Rd, Rg1, Re and notoginsenoside R1, decreased to 1.07 mg/g dry weight (DW), 0.91, 0.64, 0 and 0 mg/g DW, respectively. Meanwhile, ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3, 20(S)-Rh1, F2 and compound K significantly increased to 5.85, 6.10, 0.81 and 6.62 mg/g DW, respectively. On the other hand, one fungus was isolated from the root of P. notoginseng , which could transform ginsenoside Rb1 to ginsenoside Rd specifically. The fungus was identified as Trichoderma longibrachiatum species based on sequence analysis of the rRNA internal transcribed spacers region. The results implied a prospective feasibility for setting up different processing techniques to improve the quality of P . notoginseng and add its value.