Korean experts show how Vietnamese ginseng can take advantage

The information was shared at the workshop “Quality standards of ginseng medicinal herbs (Panax spp) and ginseng health care products” organized by the Vietnam – Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) on the morning of June 27 at Hoa Lac High-Tech Park.

According to Professor Jeong Hill Park, Seoul National University, Vietnam’s ginseng growing techniques and revenue are still very limited, especially scientific research on ginseng is not much. “Korea has more than 600 publications on ginseng published every year, while Vietnam only has about 13 publications, accounting for about 2% compared to Korea,” he said. Vietnam needs to develop farming methods, boost productivity per small unit of area, and increase the scale of the number of farms and ginseng growing area.

According to experts, there is a need for research on chemical composition, biological activity and quality control, thereby providing scientific evidence about the quality and benefits of ginseng. He emphasized the need to focus on protecting the precious genetic resources of Vietnamese ginseng, because they usually only live in high mountain areas and are very genetically diverse, so many different genetic resources need to be preserved.

And Ms. Pyo Mi Kyung, Geumsan Ginseng and Medicinal Research Institute, shared her experience in building standards for testing and certifying the quality of health care products from ginseng. In Korea standards are adopted from the Ginseng Industry Law. The law specifically regulates standards for food ingredients, sources of ginseng, red ginseng or black ginseng, clearly promulgates what can and cannot be used, and has basic ginseng production standards. based on saponin content.

Besides the law, standard levels are also established according to the National Agricultural Products Agency and local standards (Geumsan) are set for each region.

At the conference, domestic scientists also exchanged research on developing the quality of ginseng and ginseng products in Vietnam. Currently, Vietnamese ginseng has been successfully bred, planted and developed to serve the development of health care products, contributing to the economic development of some localities such as Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Lam Dong, Lai Chau.

Dr. Pham Ha Thanh Tung, Vietnam Ginseng and Medicinal Research Institute, said that the Lai Chau ginseng growing area in Sin Ho has standardized the 7-step growing process from controlling growing conditions, seed sources, and care procedures according to the degree of maturity. plant age, periodically monitor growth and control accumulation of active ingredients.

Output standards include preliminary processing, preservation and application of science to processing to help increase effectiveness, towards preserving native seed sources, strictly controlling growing, processing and preserving conditions to ensure ensure ginseng quality.

Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Duc Loi, Director of VKIST, said that currently the development of quality standards for ginseng and health care products from ginseng is included in the Pharmacopoeia of countries, including the Vietnam Pharmacopoeia. However, consumer demands for quality and scientific and technical developments require changes in the quality formulation of ginseng and ginseng products to control active ingredient content and increase precision. .

“In order for Vietnamese ginseng to compete with other ginseng species on the market, there must be clear, modern and reliable quality standards,” he emphasized. Associate Professor Loi said that the opinions of experts contributed to building quality standards for Vietnamese ginseng and products made from Vietnamese ginseng that meet international regulations and practices. This is also an opportunity for Vietnamese scientists and businesses to learn from successful experiences and techniques of Korea to apply to ginseng production practices in Vietnam.

According to Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy, through VKIST along with help from Korean experts in recent years, technology transfer to Vietnamese businesses, especially the direction of pharmaceutical extraction technology with High content has had initial results.

With Korean ginseng products, in addition to large-scale planting techniques, extraction technology is also a factor that increases efficiency. Therefore, the Deputy Minister hopes that the conference will create opportunities to connect businesses, scientists, and research institutes to help bring the best products and technology into Vietnam. He hopes to create a research project for technology transfer and production cooperation, especially connecting to bring the latest technology from Korea into research and processing for Vietnamese ginseng.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has recently announced the Geographical Indication for Ngoc Linh ginseng, established a Ngoc Linh ginseng research institute in Kon Tum, supported ginseng quality verification, ensured ginseng product quality, fought against counterfeit goods, and put Vietnamese ginseng on the list of national products prioritized for research and development.