A new method and mechanism for the rapid detoxification of the herb Pinelliae Rhizoma from the Araceae family, based on the dual destruction of raphides and lectin proteins

Pinelliae Rhizoma (PR), a traditional herbal medicine and dietary supplement, is valued for its cough relief and anti-inflammatory effects. However, it can cause significant throat irritation. And unfortunately, current processing techniques can lead to a considerable loss of active constituents in PR. This study employed microwave irradiation to process PR and elucidated the mechanisms underlying its attenuation of PR's irritation. The results demonstrated that microwave irradiation significantly enhanced the processing efficiency, reducing the traditional processing cycle from 5 to 15 days to just 10 min, while preserving active ingredients and mitigating irritation. Subsequent analysis of the irritant components found that microwave treatment significantly reduced the raphides content, altering their morphology. Concurrently, the secondary structure of lectin proteins underwent significant changes, including an increase in β-sheets, a decrease in β-turns and random coils content, and the formation of insoluble aggregates. In conclusion, microwave irradiation is an effective method for reducing the irritation of PR, with the mechanism attributed to the physical destruction of raphides and alterations in the hydrophobicity of lectin proteins. This study provides a novel approach and method for the processing and development of Araceae herbs, as well as food products such as yam, konjac, and pineapple.