Abstract
Ten MHz pulsed NMR spectrometer was used to measure the magnetic resonance characteristics of Korean red ginseng. The difference in the internal structures of good and bad red ginsengs was examined by their NMR characteristics. Average values of $T_1$ and free induction decay(FID) ratios of under grade Korean red ginseng were the highest among the three groups categorized as normal, medium and under grades Korean red ginseng and average values of $T_2$ and $T_2$$^{*}$ of them were the lowest among the three groups. Principal component analysis(PCA) was used to observe the contribution of measured NMR values to the grade of Korean red ginseng. The measured $T_1$, $T_2$, $T_2$$^{*}$ and FID ratio of 79 Korean red ginsengs classified as normal grade, medium grade and under grade were examined using PCA analysis. Cumulative variance of PC1 through PC3 occupied more than 90% of total variance at first and second NMR measurement. Plots of PC scores for the most important PCs showed that normal red ginseng samples were distributed around the left region of PC1 axis and most of the undergrade red ginseng samples were scattered around the right region of PC1 axis.