Present and Future on the Processing of Ginseng

인삼의 가공현황과 전망

In this review quality improvement, new products and processing of ginseng are discussed. Ginseng products are generally classified into two types; the dried product without significant change in original shape of fresh ginseng and various processed ginseng products in liquid or solid types prepared by addition of either ginseng extract of ground powder. The dried ginsengs are generally made 4 years old fresh ginseng roots for production of white ginseng and 6 years old ones for red ginseng. The processed ginseng products, such as ginseng drinks, extracts, teas, powders, capsules or tablets are prepared by addition of extract or powder of the ginseng roots which contain relatively high amount of saponin. At present, more than 200 items of 40 types of products are commercially available in over 70 countries in the world, Since consummers preference on the quality of ginseng products as an health food differs with their cultural background of each country, new products development and quality improvement should be investigated with concerning the particular preference of the consummers of various country. It has been generally found that the Orientals has higher product acceptance on strong ginseng flavor while the Westerners generally prefers the products having mild ginseng odor and taste. Recently consummers are asking for supplemented type of ginseng products with various medical herbs and vital materials instead of ginseng alone. Therefore future work on product development should be emphasized to meet the consummers demand and preference.