국내 육성 품종별 숙지황의 품질 특성

Rehmannia glutinosa, one of the major medicinal crops in Korea, can be classified into three types: fresh, dried and prepared Rehmannia root. In this study, the quality characteristics of prepared rehmannia root were evaluated using four different cultivars that are commonly used in the market. In making prepared rehmannia root, roots of Jihwang 1, Kokang, Togang, and Dagang were dried, soaked in rice wine, and steamed nine times. At each stage, physiochemical properties were analyzed, including yield, which is one of the most important industrial factors to consider. The yield was the highest in Togang at 23.61% and the lowest in Dagang at 21.16%. These yield values showed a highly negative correlation with the moisture content of roots. The fructose and glucose contents were increased during the 3rd, 4th and 5 th steaming but then decreased. The sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose content gradually decreased during the first three steaming and were not detected during the 4th steaming. Additionally, the catalpol content was not detected after the 4th steaming. On the contrary, the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural content was not detected in the raw root but increased during the steaming. Jihwang1 and Togang exceeded the 0.1% Korean Pharmacopoeia standard after the 5th steaming, reaching it faster than did the other cultivars. Overall, Togang was the optimal cultivar considering the overall characteristics of its high yield and short steaming time. These results could provide useful information for the industrial use of prepared Rehmannia root based on the requirements and characteristics of each cultivar.