Investigation and Suggestions on Factors Affecting Quality of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (Baizhi) in Some Post-harvest Processes / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the factors affecting the quality of post-harvest Angelicae Dahuricae Radix （Baizhi） and to provide the corresponding suggestions according to these factors. Method:A series of factors affecting the quality of Baizhi were analyzed comprehensively by visiting several origins， medicinal material markets， pharmacies， supermarkets and storehouses combined with plenty of literature reports. Result:The rot of Baizhi was the most common phenomenon after harvest， and mildew， discoloration and moth could occur during the processes of processing， storage and packaging. So the quality of Baizhi should be controlled strictly through the whole process. The roots of Baizhi should be harvested on sunny days to avoid mining damage and dried as soon as possible to prevent rotting. The drying methods included both traditional lime burial and modern ways such as sulfur fumigation， saline dehydration， sun drying method， and oven drying method. However， the water content should be strictly controlled. Furthermore， the storehouses should be disinfected firstly. The temperature and humidity of the storehouses should be controlled strictly. Some suitable ways could be adopted to prevent moth and discoloration during storage， which included airtight fumigation of aluminum phosphide， cold storage， air conditioning maintenance， antagonism storage with other Chinese medicinal materials， dry ice storage at room temperature， etc. Large quantities of Baizhi were generally packaged in woven bags. Otherwise， kraft paper bags， polyvinyl chloride plastic bags， glass bottles， aluminum foil composite film bags， and other packaging materials had been adopted for the retail. However， the packaging specification should be selected according to the situation. Conclusion:The quality of Baizhi can be directly affected by harvesting， drying， processing， storage and packaging. Scientific and reasonable methods should be adopted to ensure the quality of Baizhi.