Enhancement of the cytotoxicities and antioxidative activities of white ginseng extract by hydrolysis under mild acidic conditions

• Published in: Food science and biotechnology 2014, 23(1), , pp.173-178
• Main Authors: Chang, Kyung Hoon, Park, Se-Ho, Jee, Hee-Sook, Kim, Kee-Tae, Paik, Hyun-Dong, Lee, Joo-Yeon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Food Science; Nutrition; Research Article; 식품과학
• ISSN: 1226-7708; 2092-6456
• DOI: 10.1007/s10068-014-0023-6

White ginseng extract (WGE) was hydrolyzed with organic acids to increase the yield of ginsenoside Rg 3 which has high bio-functional activities. The condition of hydrolysis by citric acid was studied to maximize a production of ginsenoside Rg 3 . The total content of ginsenoside Rg 3 in WGE treated with 10% citric acid at 110°C for 1 h was 10-folds greater than that of commercial extract. The antitumor and antioxidant activities of WGE and the acid-hydrolysates were evaluated via an MTT assay and the DPPH method, respectively. At 1.0 mg/mL, hydrolysates inhibited the proliferation of AGS and Hep-2 cells by more than 90%, but did not inhibit their growth. It suggests that citric acid hydrolysis enhances the content of Rg 3 . In addition, the acid hydrolysates evidenced a free radical scavenging activity of 80% at a concentration of 4.0 mg/mL, while WGE exhibited only a 49% free radical scavenging activity at the same concentration.