This study aimed to comprehensively characterize the ginsenoside composition of Panax
ginseng C.A. Meyer cultivated as wild-simulated ginseng according to cultivation age and
individual plant morphology, thereby providing a scientific basis for indu...
This study aimed to comprehensively characterize the ginsenoside composition of Panax
ginseng C.A. Meyer cultivated as wild-simulated ginseng according to cultivation age and
individual plant morphology, thereby providing a scientific basis for industrial utilization
and quality standardization. The current wild-simulated ginseng industry faces issues of
inconsistent quality evaluation and diminished consumer trust due to the absence of
objective criteria, underscoring the need for an evidence-based assessment framework.
Samples of wild-simulated ginseng cultivated in the Pyeongchang region were collected
according to cultivation age (7-, 10-, and 13-year roots). Each sample was separated into
underground (root and rhizome) and aboveground (stem and leaf) parts, freeze-dried, and
analyzed. Using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC
MS/Orbitrap) system with high-resolution detection, a total of 26 underground and 28
aboveground ginsenosides were quantitatively profiled. Comparative analyses were conducted
between single large individuals (Group A) and multiple small individuals (Group B) of
equivalent total dry weight to examine differences in total ginsenoside content and
compositional patterns.
Results demonstrated that the total ginsenoside content per plant in the underground part
increased significantly with cultivation age, while, under equivalent dry-weight conditions,
the cumulative content of multiple small roots exceeded that of a single large root. These
findings suggest that the quality index of wild-simulated ginseng should be defined not by
root size but by the density of bioactive compounds per unit mass. In contrast, total
ginsenoside content in the aboveground part gradually decreased with age; however, the
absolute content in the 7-year-old aboveground part exceeded that of the underground part
across all ages—approximately twice as high as that of the 13-year-old roots—indicating
the industrial potential of 7-year-old aerial tissues as functional raw materials.
Furthermore, rare ginsenosides such as Rg3 (20R/20S isomers), Compound K, O, and Y
—typically known to arise only through thermal processing or intestinal microbial
conversion—were detected in the unprocessed, fresh state of wild-simulated ginseng. This
finding implies that wild-simulated ginseng possesses an intrinsic metabolic capacity to
biosynthesize rare ginsenosides endogenously, possibly as an adaptive response to
environmental conditions such as low light intensity, low temperature, and soil microbial
interactions.
Collectively, this study systematically elucidates the age- and organ-specific patterns of
ginsenoside accumulation in wild-simulated ginseng, highlighting the functional potential of
7-year-old aboveground parts and the natural occurrence of Rg3 as a novel industrial
bioactive compound. These findings provide fundamental data for the quality control,
standardization, and functional ingredient development of wild-simulated ginseng