Fermentation of protopanaxadiol type ginsenosides (PD) with probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus rhamnosus.

Ginsenosides are believed to be the principal components behind the pharmacological actions of ginseng, and their bioactive properties are closely related to the type, position, and number of sugar moieties attached to the aglycone; thus, modification of the sugar chains may markedly change their biological activities. In this study, major protopanaxadiol type ginsenosides (PD) Rb1, Rc, and Rb2 were isolated from Panax ginseng and were transformed using two probiotic strains namely Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 to obtain specific deglycosylated ginsenosides. It was demonstrated that B. lactis transformed ginsenosides Rb1, Rc, and Rb2 to Rd within 1 h of fermentation and rare ginsenoside F2 by the conversion of Rd after 12-h fermentation. The maximum Rd concentration was 147.52 ± 1.45 μg/mL after 48-h fermentation as compared to 45.85 ± 0.71 μg/mL before fermentation. In contrast, L. rhamnosus transformed Rb1, Rc, and Rb2 into Rd as the final metabolite after 72-h fermentation. B. lactis displayed significantly (p < 0.05) higher β-glucosidase activity against p-nitrophenyl-β-glucopyranoside than L. rhamnosus and higher bioconversion efficiency during fermentation. The present study suggests that the fermentation of major PD type ginsenosides with B. lactis Bi-07 may serve as an effective means to afford bioactive deglycosylated ginsenosides and to create novel ginsenoside extracts.