Panax ginseng is one of the most important medicinal and edible plants with pharmacological compounds mainly concentrated in the roots. Although chemical transformations of ginseng active compounds have been studied, their biotransformation processes by beneficial microbes are less reported. This study aimed to reveal changes in the functional components in P. ginseng roots fermented by the golden flower fungus Aspergillus cristatus . P. ginseng roots were incubated with A. cristatus, and the final product was given the name “Golden Flower Chinese Ginseng (GFCG).” A high-performance liquid chromatography (HP-LC) and liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC–MS) system revealed that fermentation by A. cristatus caused metabolite changes in GFCG and promoted the production of rare ginsenosides. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that more than 72% of significantly differentially expressed genes in A. cristatus showed a decrease during interaction with P. ginseng . In the meantime, transcription-related genes were suppressed, while translational and post-translational events were activated, suggesting a special role of the fungal microbe when it is colonizing medical and edible plants. Therefore, this study provides detailed chemical characterization of GFCG and the potential molecular mechanism underlying the biotransformation of P. ginseng.
Wang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.