Polygonatum sibiricum Red. With Steaming Yellow Rice Wine: Processing Technology, the Content of 5 Hydroxymethylfurfura and Safety Assessment

To investigate the content and safety evaluation of 5 Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in the processing of Polygonatum sibiricum Red, the steaming technology was optimized by response surface method combined with analytic hierarchy process of multiple indexes. The content of 5-HMF was quantitatively determined by HPLC. Safety assessment was conducted using a zebrafish model. The optimized conditions were a steaming time of 6.3 hours, a drying temperature of 74°C, a drying time of 13 hours and two cycles of processing. The contents of 5 HMF in one processing cycle (P1) and two processing cycles (P2) were 0.07±0.04 and 2.07±0.01 mg/g, respectively. As the number of steaming increased, the numbness of the tongue disappeared, the taste and antioxidant activity improved, and the 5-HMF content also increased. However, the 5 HMF content of P2 exceeded the EU Food Safety Standard. The safety assessment using zebrafish revealed that the processed products exhibited some acute toxicity. 5-HMF, as a harmful component, may act alone or synergistically to affect zebrafish embryo survival, hatchability and teratogenicity. 5-HMF may pose a potential health risk to humans. Therefore, the content of 5-HMF should be carefully considered during the processing food and medicinal plants to ensure food safety and minimize health risks.