PJB-2018-189
Study on the age specific changes in the amino acid contents of Polygonatum cyrtonema rhizomes
XIANZHI ZHOU
Abstract
Polygonatum cyrtonema is a medicinal and edible plant, included in the Chinese Pharmacopeia. We compared the age-specific fresh weights and changes in the amino acid contents of P. cyrtonema rhizomes. We found that the fresh weight of the P. cyrtonema rhizome varied directly with its age. Seventeen kinds of amino acid were detected from the P. cyrtonema rhizomes of different ages, of which glutamic acid, arginine, and aspartic acid were the most abundant. The seven essential amino acids have all been detected and their contents in the rhizomes of different ages decreased in the order one＞two＞three＞four＞five years of age. The total contents of the amino acids per unit mass of P. cyrtonema rhizomes followed the order one>two>four>five>three years of age. Aspartic acid, glutamic acid, cystine, valine, methionine, histidine, and proline are the characteristic amino acids of P. cyrtonema rhizomes. Significant correlations were found between the fresh weights of P. cyrtonema rhizomes of different ages and the contents of individual amino acids. We conclude that the amino acid contents of P. cyrtonema rhizome vary with age, based on which the suggested proper harvest time of P. cyrtonema rhizomes is four years after germination.
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