Nutritional components and physiological activities of kombucha containing ginseng sprouts

Abstract

In this study, the physicochemical properties, nutritional components, and antioxidant activities of kombucha containing ginseng sprouts (control kombucha, CT; strawberry kombucha, ST ; strawberry kombucha with 2% ginseng sprout, ST+GS) were analyzed for comparison of quality characteristics. The total content of free amino acids in ST+GS (273.38 mg/100 mL) was 3.2-14.5 times higher than in CT (18.9 mg/100 mL) and ST (84.9 mg/100 mL). The total mineral content in ST+GS (63.99 mg/100 mL) was 3.3-4.1 times higher than those of CT and ST (15.45 and 19.28 mg/100 mL). The contents of soluble phenolic and soluble flavonoid were 1.2 mg GAE/mL and 0.14 mg RE/mL in ST+GS. Several ginsenosides were detected only in ST+GS; ginsenoside Rg2 (2.4 mg/100 mL), Rh1 (4.5 mg/100 mL), F2 (9.0 mg/100 mL), Rg3 (4.6 mg/100 mL), and compound K (7.8 mg/100 mL) were detected. The content of phenolic acids was 1.2-1.5 times higher in ST+GS than in CT and ST. The amount of flavonol of ST+GS was not significantly different from CT but was 1.4 times higher than in ST. In terms of antioxidant activities, the values of ST+GS were significantly higher in comparison to other kombucha samples. These results confirmed that incorporating ginseng sprouts amplifies the advantages of kombucha.