Supplementation of poultry diets with 3% red ginseng marc markedly reduced mortality and serum cholesterol levels and remarkably improved meat quality in broilers.
This research determined the effect of ethanol concentration (vol.%) on the extraction of saponins from ginseng using a microwave-assisted process (MAP TM ) at different powers under atmospheric pressure conditions. The optimized particle size of ginseng roots and mass-to-solvent volume ratio were 60 mesh and 1 : 10 (g mL )1 ), respectively. The yields of total solids and crude saponins were influenced by ethanol concentration, with the highest value at 45-60% for the former and 60-75% for the latter, at microwave power levels of 88 and 162 W. Their respective yield per unit time (60 s) was higher at 162 W than at 88 W; however, the extraction efficiency was lower for the former than for the latter. Extraction properties of ginsenosides were similar to those of crude saponins. The results show that the ethanol concentration was influential in MAP extraction of ginseng saponins and that total imparted energy and level of applied power should be considered in terms of extraction efficiency.
The puffing process could provide an alternative mean to produce functional ginseng products, along with a reduction in processing time as compared to traditional red ginseng processing by steam.
Herbal prescriptions have been recognized as potentially valid by the scientific medical establishment, and their use has been increasing. The present study investigated the antidiabetic effects of a new herbal formula (NHF) consisting of Polygonati Rhizoma, Rehmanniae Radix, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, Puerariae Radix, Schizandrae Fructus, and Glycyrrhizae Radix. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were orally administered NHF (300 mg/kg of body weight/day) for 4 weeks. The diabetic rats exhibited hyperglycemia, increased food and water intake, loss of body weight gain, elevated hepatic thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), and decreased activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes (such as superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], and glutathione peroxidase [GSH-Px]), level of mRNA of glucose transporter (GLUT) 4 in soleus muscle, and numbers of insulin-positive cells and the size of beta-cells in pancreas. Administration of NHF significantly decreased the blood glucose level and the food and water intake and considerably increased the body weights of diabetic rats. Also, NHF treatment significantly increased plasma insulin levels and the number and size of insulin-immunoreactive cells in the pancreas of diabetic rats. Administration of NHF significantly lowered the levels of TBARS and increased the activities of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px in the liver of diabetic rats. In addition, treatment with NHF increased the mRNA levels of GLUT4 in soleus muscle. Therefore NHF may be an effective preventive and therapeutic agent for diabetes mellitus.
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