Physicochemical characteristics of 6-year-old Korean ginseng starches

Physicochemical characteristics of three different grades of 6-year-old Korean ginseng starches were investigated. The granule shape and size of ginseng starches were not significantly different among grades. The 1st grade ginseng starch showed the lowest swelling power. Moisture sorption isotherms showed typical sigmoidal shape, and the equilibrium moisture content of the 2nd grade was lower than those of the 1st and the 3rd grade. X-ray diffraction showed typical B type crystal patterns in all samples, and relative crystallinity was not significantly different among grades. As observed by Rapid Visco Analyzer, pasting and/or gelatinization properties such as peak viscosity, holding strength, final viscosity, break down and set back of the 1st grade ginseng starch were lower than other samples. These results suggest that the 1st grade ginseng starch has more dense structure and is highly resistant to heat and friction. It is possible that 1st grade ginseng may produce less inner white during red ginseng formation. Unknown contributions on the formation of inner white in red ginseng remain to be further investigated in order to understand the formation mechanism of inner white in red ginseng.