Biological Activity of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer Culture Roots Fermented with Microorganisms

Background: This study examined the use of new bio-materials with enhanced value and functionality, which were derived from fermented wild ginseng cultures. Methods and Results: To examine the antioxidant activity associated with biological functions, radical scavenging analyses (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid, ABTS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity analyses were conducted. Furthermore, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of wild ginseng fermented with microorganisms (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus licheniformis and B. subtilis subsp. inaquosorum) were evaluated to determine the antioxidant activity increment. Regarding ginseng fermented with B. licheniformis, values of $70.6{\pm}1.4%$, $44.3{\pm}1.7%$, and $88.4{\pm}1.3%$ were measured using DPPH, ABTS, and SOD-like antioxdiant activity analyses, respectively. The total phenolic content in ginseng fermented with B. licheniformis was $184.5{\pm}0.9{\mu}g{\cdot}GAE/m{\ell}$, and the total flavonoid contents was $108.5{\pm}1.8{\mu}g{\cdot}QE/m{\ell}$ in ginseng fermented with L. mesenteroides. Conclusions: Of the four types of lactic acid bacteria examined, the use of B. licheniformis to ferment ginseng resulted in greatest increase in antioxidant activity. Therefore, ginseng fermented by microorganisms might be used to produce functional bio-materials.

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