• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.29-37
• /
• 2020

Background: Although Gastrodia elata contains the valuable, bio-active compounds gastrodin and 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (4-HBA), it also contain ρ-cresol, which is a major source of an objectionable pig slurry-like odor. Accordingly, this study was performed to determine the deodorization effect of Diaion HP-20 resin on a G. elata extract. Methods and Results: Using Diaion HP-20 with an increasing concentration of ethanol, an extract of G. elata was fractionated into 15 fractions, which were anlayzed to determine their concentrations of active compounds and ρ-cresol. The gastrodin, 4-HBA, total phenolics, and ρ-cresol concentrations of the G. elata extract were 403.13, 408.15, 2,476.09, and 11.77 ㎍/㎖, respectively. Among the different fractions, gastrodin and 4-HBA were detected in fractions 3 to- 6, and 4 to- 10, respectively whereas total phenolics were detected in all samples, with fractions 5 to- 7 being characterized by higher concentrations than were the other fractions. ρ-Cresol was detected in fractions 12 to- 15, at concentrations ranging from 0.39 ㎍/㎖ to 6.05 ㎍/㎖ with the highest concentration detected in fraction 14. The fractions containing ρ-cresol could be selectively separated from the G. elata extract without the loss of major bio-active compounds such as gastrodin and 4-HBA. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that a deodorizing method using Diaion HP-20 resin can be considered for improving the sensory qualities of G. elata extract without a loss of the major bio-active compounds.