New Processes For Removing Organochlorine Pesticides And Extracting Ginsenosides From Ginseng

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), as fat-soluble compounds, are cumulative,persistent and difficult to be metabolized in both biota and environment matrixes andeventually become hazardous to human health through the food chain. The cultivationof ginseng usually takes years and requires the use of pesticides, such as benzenehexachloride (BHC), DDT and its metabolites to reduce pest damage, which possesslong half-life, chronic adverse effect and bioaccumulation in biotic fat.Supercritical fluid extraction has received increasing attention as the solution for theseproblems due to the distinct properties such as lower viscosity, higher diffusivity,adjustable density, in which CO2 is the commonly used extraction solvent due to itslow critical temperature and its non-toxic and non-flammable properties.The organochlorine pesticides content in the ginseng materials was determined usingSoxhlet extraction followed by capillary gas chromatography–electron capturedetection and mass spectrometric confirmation, and the total ginsenosides content wasalso detected by UV, as well the Rg1 and Re, which were qualified by GC.Then on the basis of our laboratory work, we developed a new technology to extractginsenosides, in which the organochlorine pesticide residue was partly isolated viasupercritical CO2 from ginseng root without ginsenosides loss at 30 MPa,60 ℃ withcertain solvent as modifier firstly, then we use 70% ethanol-water solution as solventto extract ginsenosides from the ginseng which removed organochlorine pesticides bySFE. Ginsenosides were quantified by high performance liquid chromatographyequipped with UV detector. Results approved the feasibility to decrease theorganochlorine pesticides content to 0.1mg/kg in the final product with anyginseosides loss in this process.