Study on Formula Optimization of Huangjing Zhima Pills

Jun YE Jinting LIAO Ribin LIU Yupeng ZHANG

Abstract ［Objectives］With Polygonati Rhizoma steamed and sundried for 9 times as the main raw material, a type of Huangjing Zhima Pills was developed and its optimal formula was studied.

［Methods］ The Huangjing Zhima Pills was developed with nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma as the main raw material by adding black sesame, black beans, and honey. Taking sensory score and texture properties as evaluation indexes, the optimal formula parameters of Huangjing Zhima Pills were determined by single factor experiments and an orthogonal test combined with a formula scoring method.

［Results］ The best formula of Huangjing Zhima Pills was addition amount of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma 25%, addition amount of black bean powder 15%, addition amount of honey added 17%, and addition amount of black sesame powder 30%. The moisture content in the finished product was (13.367±0.056) g/100 g, and the total colony count, Escherichia coli, mold and yeast and other microbial indexes all met the standards. The Huangjing Zhima Pills prepared under these conditions had pleasant sesame flavor and Polygonati Rhizoma flavor, delicate and sweet tasted, and a slight aftertaste of sweetness. Meanwhile, Polygonatum, black sesame and black beans are all medicinal and food homologous plants with certain health care effects, and the Huangjing Zhima Pills prepared from them are healthy snacks that people can carry and eat easily.

［Conclusions］ This study further enhances the added value of Polygonatum and provides a new way for the high-value utilization of Polygonatum.

Key words Polygonati Rhizoma; Zhima pill; Processing

Received: June 29, 2022  Accepted: August 30, 2022

Supported by Shaoguan Science and Technology Planning Project (200811154532467, 210722074530127); Natural Science Research Project of Shaoguan University (SY2021KJ01, SZ2020KJ09); Undergraduate Innovation and Enterpreneurship Training Program (S202110576028X).

Jun YE (1987-), male, P. R. China, master, devoted to research about high-value processing and utilization of agricultural and sideline products.

*Corresponding author.

Polygonati Rhizoma is the dry rhizomes of Polygonatum of Liliaceae, which is one of the commonly used medicinal and edible homologous plants. Polygonatum species included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia include Polygonatum kingianum Coll. et Hemsl., P. sibiricum Red. and P. cyrtonema Hua.［1］. The main chemical components of Polygonatum are Polygonatum polysaccharides, in addition to flavonoids, steroids, triterpenes, lignans, coumarins, fatty acids and aliphatic long-chain substances. It has the functions of boosting qi and nourishing yin, invigorating the spleen, moistening the lungs, and nourishing the kidneys, and is used in the symptoms of spleen and stomach weakness due to damp-heat, body fatigue, dry mouth and reduced appetite, lung deficiency and cough caused by dryness, insufficiency of essence and blood, and consumptive thirst due to internal heat［2］. Modern scientific research has further confirmed that Polygonatum has blood sugar-lowering, oxidation-resisting, immunity-regulating, memory-improving, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory functions［3］. Sesame is one of the oil crops with the longest history in China, which is rich in nutrients and widely used. Sesame is divided into white sesame, black sesame, brown sesame, etc. Among them, black sesame has unique nutritional and health care functions, and was included in the list of "medicine and food homology" in 2002. According to modern medical theory and nutritional science, the active ingredients of black sesame have the effects of nourishing the skin, preventing hair loss, maintaining the nervous system, resisting oxidation, clearing away cholesterol, lowering blood lipids, and regulating blood sugar［4］. Black beans are also one of the "dual-purpose" plants. They are rich in nutrients and can effectively prevent and reduce "three highs", enteritis and atherosclerosis. The anthocyanins in black bean skin also have medicinal functions of maintaining beauty and keeping young, preventing cancer and improving eyesight［5］.

In recent years, with the continuous improvement of living standards, people’s requirements for food have gradually changed from safe nutrition to the pursuit of certain health care functions. Polygonatum, black sesame and black beans are all medicinal and food homologous plants with certain health care effects. In this study, a type of Huangjing Zhima Pills was made with Polygonati Rhizoma steamed and sundried for 9 times, black sesame, black beans and honey as the main raw materials, and its formula was optimized, in order to make a healthy snack that can meet people’s health care requirements and is easy to carry.

Materials and Methods

Experimental materials

Nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma: purchased from Anhui Mandezhai Food Co., Ltd.; black sesame and black beans: purchased from Harbin Xinhengde Food Co., Ltd.; honey: purchased from Shanghai Guanshengyuan Bee Products Co., Ltd.

Experimental methods

Technical process

The nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma was processed by steps of slicing and pulverizing. The black sesame was first cleaned, selected and filtered and processed by steps of stir-frying and pulverizing. The back beans were also cleaned, selected and filtered and processed by steps of stir-frying and pulverizing.

The nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma, black sesame powder and black bean powder prepared above were weighed, mixed uniformly in a certain proportion and added with a certain amount of refined honey, and the mixture was stirred and mixed evenly, rolled into pills and packaged.

Operating points

① Preparation of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma: An appropriate amount of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma was cut into small pieces, and put in a food processor for grinding, which was repeated 2 times at a medium speed for 30 s, to obtain a powder for later use.

② Preparation of black sesame powder: The black sesame seeds were cleaned 3 to 4 times, and full black sesame seeds were selected, while discarding empty black sesame seeds floating on the water. The water was drained with clean gauze as much as possible, and the black sesame seeds were stir-fried for 8-10 min to dry them slowly, until the fragrance was released and there was a cracking sound. The fried black sesame seeds were ground into powder with a food processor for later use.

③ Preparation of black bean powder: The black beans were washed 2 to 3 times, and the black beans floating on the water were discarded. After draining the water with clean gauze, the black beans were stir-fried for 8-10 min, until the black beans were cracked, and tasted with the aroma of beans, but no beany smell. The fried black beans were ground into a powder with a food processor for later use.

④ Refined honey: Honey was poured into a small container, boiled over high heat, and then simmered slowly with low heat while stirring constantly. The honey first turned from yellow to white and then yellow, and the preparation was completed until it was solidified immediately when it was dripped into water.

The nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizom, black bean powder and black sesame powder were mixed well, and the mixture was added with a certain amount of refined honey, and mixed well. It was divided into 10 g portions, each of which was clenched with hands first, and then rolled into a ball shape. The pills were stored at a low temperature after packaging.

Single factor experiments on formula optimization of Huangjing Zhima Pills

Effects of the addition amount of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma on the sensory and texture properties of the product

In the case of adding 30% of black sesame powder, 15% of black bean powder, and 15% of honey, the effects of adding 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35% of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma on product sensory and texture properties (adhesiveness, chewiness) were compared, and the quality of the prepared Huangjing Zhima Pills was comprehensively evaluated to preliminarily select the best addition amount of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma.

Effects of the addition amount of black bean powder on the sensory and texture properties of the product

With the addition of 30% of black sesame powder, 25% of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma, and 15% of honey, the effects of adding 6%, 9%, 12%, 15%, and 18% of black bean powder on product sensory and texture properties (adhesiveness, chewiness) were compared, and the quality of the prepared Huangjing Zhima Pills was comprehensively evaluated to preliminarily select the best addition amount of black bean powder.

Effects of the addition amount of honey on the sensory and texture properties of the product

In the case of adding 30% of black sesame powder, 25% of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma, and 15% of black bean powder, the effects of adding 11%, 13%, 15%, 17%, and 19% of honey on product sensory and texture properties (adhesiveness, chewiness) was compared, and the quality of the prepared Huangjing Zhima Pills was comprehensively evaluated to preliminarily select the best addition amount of honey.

Effects of the addition amount of black sesame powder on the sensory and texture properties of the product

In the case of adding 25% of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma, 15% of black bean powder, and 15% of honey, the effects of adding 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, and 40% of black sesame powder on product sensory and texture properties (adhesiveness, chewiness) were compared, and the quality of the prepared Huangjing Zhima Pills was comprehensively evaluated to preliminarily select the best addition amount of black sesame powder.

Orthogonal test for formula optimization of Huangjing Zhima Pills

Based on the results of the single factor experiments, an L9 (34) orthogonal test was designed with the addition amount of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma (A), the addition amount of black bean powder (B), the addition amount of honey (C), and the addition amount of black sesame powder (D) as the main influencing factors to select the best formula of Huangjing Zhima Pills. The experimental factors and levels are shown in Table 1.

Measurement items and methods

Sensory evaluation

Ten food professionals who are experienced and have no special taste preference were selected as tasters to conduct sensory evaluation on Huangjing Zhima Pills. The evaluation criteria are shown in Table 2［6］.

Texture index determination

The TPA test of Huangjing Zhima Pills was carried out by a texture analyzer to determine the properties such as adhesiveness and chewiness. The pills were tested with a speed of 30 mm/min, a triggering force of 0.5 N, and a pressing distance of 5 mm. Each group of tests was carried out in two cycles, and all tests were measured in parallel for 3 times to take the average of the measurement results.

Jun YE et al. Study on Formula Optimization of Huangjing Zhima Pills

Product quality analysis

The finished products were tested for moisture and microbial indexes. Moisture was determined by the first method of GB GB 5009.3; the total colony count was determined by GB 4789.2; Escherichia coli was determined by the second method of GB 4789.3; and mold and yeast were determined by the first method of GB 4789.15.

Results and Analysis

Results of the single factor experiments

Determination of addition amount of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma

The sensory evaluation results of Huangjing Zhima Pills prepared by adding different amounts of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma are shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 shows the measurement results of the adhesiveness and chewiness of Huangjing Zhima Pills made with different addition amounts of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma.

It can be seen from Fig. 1 that with the increase of the addition amount of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma, the sensory evaluation score gradually increased and then decreased. When the addition amount was 25%, the sensory evaluation reached the maximum value. It can be seen from Fig. 2 that the adhesiveness and chewiness of Huangjing Zhima Pills decreased with the increase of the addition amount of Polygonati Rhizoma. The reason might be related to the content of sugars. The increase in the content of Polygonati Rhizoma led to a decrease in the percentage of sugars in the Huangjing Zhima Pills, thereby reducing the adhesiveness and chewiness of the product. Meanwhile, it could be seen from the sensory evaluation that an appropriate amount of Polygonati Rhizoma could improve the overall quality of Huangjing Zhima Pills, but if the content was too high, it would also reduce the taste. To sum up, the quality of Huangjing Zhima Pills was better when the addition amount was 25%.

Determination of the addition amount of black bean powder

The sensory evaluation results of Huangjing Zhima Pills prepared with different addition amounts of black bean powder are shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 shows the measurement results of the adhesiveness and chewiness of Huangjing Zhima Pills made with different addition amounts of black soybean powder.

It can be seen from Fig. 3 that with the increase of the addition amount of black soybean powder, the sensory evaluation score gradually increased and then decreased. When the addition amount was 15%, the sensory evaluation score reached the maximum value. It can be seen from Fig. 4 that the adhesiveness and chewiness of Huangjing Zhima Pills decreased with the increase of the addition amount of black soybean powder. It might be because the percentage of sugar content decreased with the increase of black soybean powder, which reduced the adhesiveness and chewiness of the product. Meanwhile, through sensory evaluation, it could be seen that an appropriate amount of black soybean powder could improve the overall quality of Huangjing Zhima Pills, but if the content was too high, the taste would be dry and bitter. To sum up, the quality of black bean powder was better when the addition amount was 15%.

Determination of the addition amount of honey

The sensory evaluation results of Huangjing Zhima Pills prepared with different amounts of honey are shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 6 shows the measurement results of the adhesiveness and chewiness of Huangjing Zhima Pills made with different amounts of honey.

It can be seen from Fig. 5 that with the increase of the amount of honey added, the sensory evaluation score gradually increased and then decreased. When the addition amount was 15%, the sensory evaluation score reached the maximum value. It can be seen from Fig. 6 that the adhesiveness and chewiness of Huangjing Zhima Pills tended to increase with the increase of the amount of honey added. The reason might be that sugars account for 70% to 80% of honey, and as the amount of honey added increased, the content of sugars increased, and the adhesiveness and chewiness were also improved. Meanwhile, through sensory evaluation, it could be seen that an appropriate amount of honey could improve the overall quality of Huangjing Zhima Pills, but if the addition amount was too high, the taste would be sweet and greasy, and the unique aroma of Polygonati Rhizoma could hardly be tasted. To sum up, the product quality was better when the addition amount of honey was 15%.

Determination of the addition amount of black sesame powder

The sensory evaluation results of Huangjing Zhima Pills prepared with different addition amounts of black sesame powder are shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 8 shows the measurement results of the adhesiveness and chewiness of Huangjing Zhima Pills made with different additions of black sesame powder.

It can be seen from Fig. 7 that with the increase of the addition amount of black sesame powder, the sensory evaluation score gradually increased at first and then decreased. When the addition amount was 35%, the sensory evaluation score reached the maximum value. It can be seen from Fig. 8 that the adhesiveness and chewiness of Huangjing Zhima Pills decreased with the increase of the addition amount of black sesame powder. The reason might be that the increase in the content of black sesame powder led to a decrease in the content of sugars, thereby reducing the adhesiveness and stickiness of Huangjing Zhima Pills. Meanwhile, through sensory evaluation, it could be seen that an appropriate amount of black sesame powder could improve the overall quality of Huangjing Zhima Pills, but adding too much would result in the condition that too much sesame flavor covered the unique fragrance of Polygonati Rhizoma, and the taste would be relatively dry. To sum up, the product quality was better when the addition amount of black sesame powder was 35%.

Results of orthogonal test

The sensory and texture properties of the product were comprehensively evaluated by a formula scoring method.

The sensory scores were arranged from small to large, and scoring was performed in turn, with the lowest value being 1 point and the highest value being 9 points.

Because moderate adhesiveness and chewiness are preferred for the product, and too large or too small will affect the taste of Huangjing Zhima Pills, the values of texture properties (adhesiveness and chewiness) were arranged from small to large to find out the medians. According to the absolute value of the difference between each value and corresponding median, the values were arranged from small to large, and scoring was performed in turn, with the lowest value being 1 point and the highest value being 9 points.

Because sensory evaluation is an important index for Huangjing Zhima Pills, its weight was set to 2, and the weights of adhesiveness and chewiness were set to 1. The scoring formula was Comprehensive score=2×Sensory score+1×Adhesiveness score+1×Chewiness score. The results of the formula scoring method and the range analysis table are shown in Table 4 and Table 5, respectively.

It can be seen from Tables 5 and 6 that the importance of a factor could be determined according to the range R value. The larger the R, the greater the influence of the level change of the factor on the test index, and the more important the factor. Therefore, the order of the primary and secondary factors of Huangjing Zhima Pills was B>A>C>D, that is, the addition amount of black bean powder > the addition amount of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma > the addition amount of honey > the addition amount of black sesame powder, and the optimal formula was A2B2C3D2, that is, nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma added 25%, black bean powder added 15%, honey added 17%, and black sesame powder added 35%.

After the verification test, the comprehensive score of the optimal formula combination A2B2C3D2 was 32 points, which was similar to the comprehensive score of 31 points of the orthogonal test group A2B2C3D1. Considering factors such as economics, the optimal formula of Huangjing Zhima Pills was A2B2C3D1, that is, addition amount of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma 25%, addition amount of black bean powder 15%, addition amount of honey 17%, and addition amount of black sesame powder 30%.

Results of product quality analysis

The moisture and microbial indexes of the finished Huangjing Zhima Pills were tested, and the test results are shown in Table 7 and Table 8. The test results all met the requirements.

Total colony count∥CFU/g52104105Values of all five samples were less than the m value

E. coli∥CFU/g5210102Values of all five samples were less than the m value

Mold and yeast∥CFU/g5250150Values of all five samples were less than the m value

Conclusions

In this study, Polygonati Rhizoma, black sesame, black beans and honey were used as the main raw materials to optimize the formula of Huangjing Zhima Pills. The best addition amounts of various raw materials were optimized through single factor experiments, and an orthogonal test was carried out according to the results of single factor experiments. With sensory and texture properties as comprehensive evaluation indexes, combined with the formula scoring method, the optimal formula of Huangjing Zhima Pills was obtained as follows: the addition amount of nine-steamed nine-sundried Polygonati Rhizoma 25%, the addition amount of black bean powder 15%, the addition amount of honey 17%, and the addition amount of black sesame powder 30%, under which the Huangjing Zhima Pills prepared had pleasant sesame flavor and Polygonati Rhizoma flavor, delicate and sweet taste, and a slight aftertaste of sweetness. Meanwhile, the moisture content in the finished product was (13.367±0.056) g/100 g, which was lower than the standard limit of 15 g/100 g, and the microbial indexes including the total colony count, E. coli, mold and yeas all met the standards. Polygonatum, black sesame and black bean are all medicinal and food homologous plants with certain health care effects, and the Huangjing Zhima Pills prepared from them are healthy snacks that people can carry and eat easily. This study also provides a new way for further high-value utilization of Polygonatum resources.

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