Ginsenosides analysis of New Zealand-grown forest Panax ginseng by LC-QTOF-MS/MS

Ginsenosides are the unique and bioactive components in ginseng. Ginsenosides are affected by the growing environment and conditions. In New Zealand (NZ), Panax ginseng Meyer (P. ginseng) is grown as a secondary crop under a pine tree canopy with an open-field forest environment. There is no thorough analysis reported about NZ-grown ginseng.

Ginsenosides from NZ-grown P. ginseng in different parts (main root, fine root, rhizome, stem, and leaf) with different ages (6, 12, 13, and 14 years) were extracted by ultrasonic extraction and characterized by Liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Twenty-one ginsenosides in these samples were accurately quantified and relatively quantified with 13 ginsenoside standards.

All compounds were separated in 40 min, and a total of 102 ginsenosides were identified by matching MS spectra data with 23 standard references or published known ginsenosides from P. ginseng. The quantitative results showed that the total content of ginsenosides in various parts of P. ginseng varied, which was not obviously dependent on age. In the underground parts, the 13-year-old ginseng root contained more abundant ginsenosides among tested ginseng samples, whereas in the aboveground parts, the greatest amount of ginsenosides was from the 14-year-old sample. In addition, the amount of ginsenosides is higher in the leaf and fine root and much lower in the stem than in the other parts of P. ginseng.

This study provides the first-ever comprehensive report on NZ-grown wild simulated P. ginseng.