Physical characteristics of North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) root

North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is an important export crop for Canada and the USA. The plant root is highly valued in traditional Chi nese medicine. Although the crop is cultivated and processed extensively, d ata on physical characteristics useful for design of postharvest systems ar e scarce. Research was initiated to examine commercially grown ginseng root s from several gardens in British Columbia, Canada. The roots were classifi ed into three shapes "pencil", "chunky", and "complex" and subjected to mas s, diameter and volume measurements. The roots exhibited wide variations in mass (typical mass average of 20 g, c.v. 60%), dimensions (typical diamete r of 17 mm, c.v. 22%) and with the majority having "pencil" or "complex" sh ape. A gamma density function represented root mass and diameter data. A li near relation between the surface area and the mass of the fresh root was d eveloped: S = 9.5 W + 282 (r(2) = 0.45), where S is the root surface area ( mm(2)) and W is the mass of fresh root (g). The bulk density, calculated fr om measured bulk volume and mass of the roots, ranged from 201 to 279 kg/m( 3). Using the measured bulk density and specific density (about 1000 kg/m(3 )), the porosity of bulk fresh ginsang was estimated at about 0.80.