Quality assessment of black ginseng materials utilizing chemometrics and modeling inflammation in Zebrafish

Black ginseng is a novel variant of processed ginseng that is produced by subjecting ginseng to a series of nine steaming and drying cycles. However, the precise connection between the processing cycle and the quality of black ginseng remains uncertain, and further investigation is required to establish the association between quality markers and biological activity. In this research, high-performance liquid chromatography was employed to analyze the composition of 17 ginsenosides present in samples of black ginseng. The anti-inflammatory properties of black ginseng saponin extract were tested utilizing a zebrafish tail fin amputation model. The findings indicate that the concentrations of Rg3, Rg5, and Rk1 in black ginseng samples exhibited their highest levels following the seventh processing cycle, hence demonstrating the most effective regulatory impact on neutrophils and macrophages. This study posits that the correlation between these three ginsenoside and biological activities could potentially serve as a crucial factor in ensuring the quality control of black ginseng, thereby contributing to the advancement of quality control measures for health foods and dietary supplements that utilize black ginseng as their primary constituent.