High-Value Bioconversion of Ginseng Extracts in Betaine-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents for the Preparation of Deglycosylated Ginsenosides

Deep eutectic solvents (DES), as a green alternative to traditional organic solvents in biocatalysis, not only activate proteins but even increase the efficiency of enzymatic reactions. Here, DES were used in a combinatorial enzyme-catalyzed system containing β-glucosidase BGLAt and β-galactosidase BGALAo to produce deglycosylated ginsenosides (De-g) from ginseng extracts (GE). The results showed that DES prepared with betaine and ethylene glycol (molar ratio, 1:2) could significantly stimulate the activity of the combinatorial enzymes as well as improve the acid resistance and temperature stability. The DES-based combinatorial enzyme-catalyzed system could convert 5 g of GE into 1.24 g of De-g (F1, F2, 20 (S)-PPT, and CK) at 24 h, which was 1.1 times that of the buffer sample. As confirmed by the spectral data, the changes in the conformations of the combinatorial enzymes were more favorable for the binding reaction with the substrates. Moreover, the constructed DES-based aqueous two-phase system enabled the recovery of substantial amounts of DES and De-g from the top phase. These results demonstrated that DES shows great application as a reaction solvent for the scale-up production of De-g and provide insights for the green extraction of natural products.