Development prospects of enzyme products with the same origin in medicine and food

Since 2002, 87 types of Chinese medicinal materials have been included in the list of items that are both food and medicine. In recent years, with the expansion of enzyme influence, many scholars and businesses have studied the fermentation production of enzymes using traditional enzyme fermentation methods or improved production processes with medicinal and edible Chinese medicinal materials as raw materials, and developed a series of medicinal and edible homologous Chinese medicinal material enzyme products. This article analyzes and discusses the current development status of medicinal and edible plant enzymes in China, in order to provide reference for process optimization, product development, functional research, and industry development.

01
Plant enzymes with the same origin in medicine and food are an inevitable requirement for traditional Chinese medicine to adhere to integrity and innovation

Fermentation is one of the processing methods for traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Traditional fermented Chinese medicinal materials include Shenqu, Banxia Qu, etc. Traditional Chinese medicine can change its properties, enhance its efficacy, and reduce toxic side effects through microbial fermentation. Medicinal and edible plant enzymes are an innovative development based on ancient traditional Chinese medicine, utilizing the microorganisms and processes of fruit and vegetable fermentation to ferment the extract of traditional Chinese medicine. During the fermentation process, the transformation of microorganisms can improve the odor and taste of traditional Chinese medicine extracts, enhance the dissolution of active ingredients, enhance their activity, reduce their toxicity, and decompose large molecules into small ones, enhancing the absorption and utilization of active ingredients. The list of items that are both food and medicine includes 87 types of traditional Chinese medicine, followed by the addition of rose eggplant, short stemmed wujia, maca powder, ginseng (artificially planted), black medicine leaves, spicy wood leaves, Eucommia ulmoides male flowers, loquat leaves, Hubei crabapple leaves, loquat flowers, and rush yellow grass; In 2019, six spices including Angelica sinensis, turmeric, piper root, and saffron could be used as spices. These Chinese medicinal materials have a wide variety of categories, different properties, and a wide range of sources, all of which can be used as fermentation materials for enzymes. With the increasing understanding and acceptance of enzymes by the general public in recent years, various enzymes for the fermentation of medicinal and edible herbs with the same origin will continue to emerge.

02
Medicinal and edible plant enzymes can enrich the categories of beverages in China

In 2022, the scale of China's beverage market reached 1247.8 billion yuan, occupying a large share in the food category. Consumers often drink a variety of beverage categories, including packaged drinking water, carbonated beverages, dairy products, and sparkling water, among which plant-based beverages also occupy a place in the beverage market. After more than 30 years of experience, from basically zero in the early stages of reform and opening up to market sales of tens of billions of yuan, plant beverages are mainly represented by herbal tea, with leading brands such as Wang Laoji and Jia Duobao. Plant fermented beverages, as a type of plant beverage, have appeared in the national standard "Plant Beverages" since 2014. However, as of 2023, pure plant fermented beverages are still rare in the market. On the other hand, other fermented beverages, such as fermented milk drinks, fermented fruit vinegar drinks, fermented tea drinks, and fermented grain drinks, are dazzling, and many well-known brands have emerged, with huge production and sales volumes. The beverage market is fiercely competitive, and innovation is constantly emerging. Major beverage companies are constantly innovating with the goal of being good to drink and healthy, developing various popular beverage products for consumers. As a sub field of plant beverages, there is a huge market gap for medicinal and edible plant enzymes. With the development of China's traditional Chinese medicine industry, some large enterprises are gradually entering this field, and medicinal and edible plant enzymes will inevitably face development.

03
Medicinal and edible plant enzymes can meet the health and wellness needs of the general public

In the past two decades, enzymes have been a hot topic in food research. According to current research results, various active components of plant components, such as phenols, saponins, anthraquinone, and polysaccharides, will undergo changes during microbial fermentation. Generally, the glycoside structure will be broken down, and large molecules will be broken down into small molecules, enhancing overall activity. During the process of microbial fermentation, various enzymes are secreted to decompose the structural components of traditional Chinese medicine and improve the solubility of active substances in plant components. Some researchers have studied the enzyme activity of medicinal and edible plant enzymes and found that complex microbial enzyme systems are produced and play a role in the fermentation process, which has a strong decomposition effect on common macromolecular structures, thereby reducing the burden on the digestive tract of consumers. During the fermentation process of many medicinal and edible plant enzymes, the superoxide radical scavenging ability, reducing power, and SOD enzyme activity of the fermentation broth continue to increase, resulting in a relatively high antioxidant capacity of the fermentation broth. Antioxidant capacity is one of the basic means for the human body to resist aging and prevent diseases. Enzymes can also produce a large amount of organic acids, mainly acetic acid and lactic acid, during the fermentation process. Regular consumption of foods with high organic acid content can enhance appetite, promote digestion, accelerate the secretion of digestive fluids, and lubricate the intestines.

04
Professional production and standardized promotion are urgent issues that need to be solved for plant enzymes with the same origin in medicine and food