American Ginseng Slices
American ginseng slices are the dried, transversely cut root of Panax quinquefolius, sold as thin discs for direct infusion, decoction or further processing. The root is a fleshy taproot of the Araliaceae family, cream to pale tan in colour with concentric growth rings visible on the cut face, and it carries the bitter sweet, faintly earthy flavour characteristic of the dammarane saponins it contains.
The functional constituents are ginsenosides, chiefly Rb1, Re, Rd, Rc and Rg1, together with polysaccharides, free amino acids and trace minerals. American ginseng is distinguished from Panax ginseng by a markedly higher proportion of Rb1 relative to Rg1, which is the basis of the identification test used to detect substitution.
Slices are typically 0.5 to 2 mm thick and 5 to 20 mm across, hard and brittle at ambient moisture. Ginsenosides and the accompanying polysaccharides dissolve readily in hot water, so the slices release colour and flavour within a few minutes of steeping. The material is hygroscopic and darkens on prolonged exposure to light and humidity, so it is packed in sealed bags with a desiccant.
We source bulk American Ginseng Slices from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Shandong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
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- Function
- Plant extract
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Cream to pale yellowish brown discs with visible growth rings |
| Odour and Taste | Characteristic, slightly aromatic, bitter then sweet |
| Slice Thickness | 0.5 to 2.0 mm |
| Identification | TLC and HPLC profile conforming to Panax quinquefolius reference |
| Total Ginsenosides | ≥ 2.0% |
| Moisture | ≤ 12.0% |
| Total Ash | ≤ 5.0% |
| Acid Insoluble Ash | ≤ 1.0% |
| Sulphur Dioxide | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Lead | ≤ 2.0 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 1.0 mg/kg |
| Cadmium | ≤ 0.5 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 10,000 cfu/g |
| Yeast and Mould | ≤ 500 cfu/g |
| Escherichia coli | Negative in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Negative in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Grading follows the root before it is cut. Main root slices, taken from the thickest part of the taproot, are the highest specification and are sorted by diameter, thickness uniformity and the whiteness of the cut face. Branch root and fibrous root slices are traded separately at lower values and are usually destined for extraction rather than for retail infusion. Within each class, lots are further separated by the growing season count, most commonly four year and five year root, and by origin, since Wisconsin, Ontario and Chinese cultivated material each have a recognised appearance and saponin profile.
Both sun dried and hot air dried slices are traded, along with freeze dried slices, which retain a paler colour and a more open structure. Organic certified lots are available. Sulphur fumigated material is still offered in some channels but is excluded by most export specifications, and residual sulphur dioxide is a routine test on incoming lots.
Applications
- Herbal infusions, where slices are steeped in hot water directly in a cup or thermos flask and the same slices are refilled several times
- Slow cooked soups and broths, particularly poultry stocks, where the root is simmered for one to two hours and contributes a bitter sweet background
- Congee and rice porridge preparations, added at the start of the cook so the polysaccharides thicken the dish slightly
- Medicinal wines and spirit infusions, where ethanol extracts the less polar ginsenosides over several weeks
- Feedstock for water and hydroalcoholic extraction, when the slice format is more convenient to dose than whole root
- Gift and retail packs, in which visual grading of the slices is the primary quality signal
- Chewable and under the tongue use, taking a single slice as a slow release format
- Blended herbal tea bags, where sliced root is cut down further and combined with chrysanthemum, wolfberry or liquorice
China Manufacturers of American Ginseng Slices
Top American Ginseng Slices manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States, dried American ginseng root is a food and is also used as a dietary ingredient, with finished supplement products made under 21 CFR Part 111. Ginseng is included among the flavouring materials generally recognised as safe by the Flavour and Extract Manufacturers Association. Panax quinquefolius is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, so wild harvested root requires export documentation, while cultivated material is traded under the artificially propagated provisions.
In the European Union the sliced root is handled as a food or a food supplement ingredient rather than a food additive, so no E number is assigned, and health claims for ginseng remain unauthorised pending evaluation. Codex has no commodity standard for ginseng slices, and the material has no JECFA additive specification. Import lots are commonly tested against the general contaminant limits applying to dried plant material, including those for lead, cadmium and pesticide residues.
Manufacturing Process
Roots are lifted mechanically or by hand at the end of the fourth or fifth growing season, washed free of soil in rotating drum washers, and inspected for rot and mechanical damage. Cleaned root is dried in stages, first at a low temperature to draw surface moisture without case hardening the skin, then at a higher temperature until the moisture falls to a level at which the root snaps cleanly.
Dried root is graded, then softened briefly with controlled humidity so it can be cut without shattering, and sliced on a rotary or reciprocating cutter set to the target thickness. The slices are redried to final moisture, passed over a sieve to remove fines and fragments, and cleaned by air classification and metal detection. Sorting for colour and size is done optically or by hand before packing into aluminium foil laminate bags, often nitrogen flushed, inside fibreboard cartons.
