Study on the Change of Ginsenosides in Fermenting Fresh Ginseng and Prickly Pear by RRLC-Q-TOF MS

Ginseng and Radix Acanthopanacis (Panax ginseng C.A.Mey.) are dry roots, which are widely used in the field of medicine and food. The cactus fruit flesh contain polysaccharides and flavonoids, showing that it can activate blood, eliminate dampness cooling, improve immunity. Therefore, this study focused on the quantitative analysis of rare ginsenoside Rh1, Rg2, F2, Rg3, Rh2 and CK in the fermentation broth. This research was designed to evaluate the effect of ginseng and cactus fruit as raw material and fermented health wine on health functions such as improving immunity, anti fatigue and preventing senile dementia. In order to discover new compounds produced by the compatibility of ginseng, rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadruple-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (RRLC-Q-TOF MS) was used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the content of ginsenosides in the fermentation liquid of fresh ginseng with cactus pear fruit. The analysis was carried out on an Agilent Zorbax SB-C18 column （2.1 m×150 mm×3.5 μm） by gradient elution with acetonitrile-water (0.1% formic acid) as mobile phase, and was detected by RRLC-Q-TOF MS with negative electrospray ionization mode. Twenty-seven ginsenosides were identified, and the contents of ginsenoside Rh1, Rg2, F2, Rg3, Rh2 and CK increased obviously, which reached to 6.345 2, 20.452 2, 6.255 9, 27.452 8, 55.384 6,30.472 9 mg/L in the fermentation liquid, respectively. The findings suggested that 19 kinds of ginsenosides are detected before fermentation, while 27 kinds of ginsenosides are detected after fermentation. The method will be applied to find new compounds after being compatibility and to identify ginsenosides based on fragment pathway.