Distribution and Composition of Dietary Fiber in Various Parts of Ginseng Root

인삼의 부위별 식이섬유소 분포 및 조성

Six-year-old ginseng roots were divided into rhizome, main root (epidermis, cortex and xylem) and lateral root (big tail root, mid tail root and fine tail root) and the concentration levels of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) in each part of the ginseng were investigated. The amount ratios of SDF to IDF (SDF/IDF) in various parts of the ginseng root were also compared. The concentration levels of SDF and IDF in the ginseng root were 6.56% and 15.41 %, respectively, where the level of SDF in main root was a little higher than that of lateral root. However the amount of IDF in main root was lower than that of lateral root. The SDF/IDF was highest in main root, 0.513, which was higher than that of lateral root or rhizome. The SDF/IDF was 0.704 in xylem, 0.478 in cortex, and 0.099 in epidermis of the main root and the SDF/IDF was 0.576 in big tail root, 0.463 in mid tail root, and 0.255 in fine tail root of the lateral root. It has been reported that SDF might have preventive effects on diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, colon and rectum cancers, while IDF might have preventive effects on constipation. Therefore, main root of six-year- old ginseng root is thought to have a little different physiological activity from lateral or fine tail roots.