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Reading a label figureBased on the product label

Where the saponin 40 mg/g figure sits on the KOGIN package

The ‘saponin 40 mg/g or more’ on the box is not a measured value for one finished stick. It is a lower limit set on the powder raw material. We start by pointing to the number in the parentheses and the field it sits in.

Published7 min readHongbaek News editorial desk
Actual photograph of black ginseng raw material and powder in a glass bowl

Product facts

Where it appears
after the ingredient name in the ingredient name field
What it points to
red ginseng powder and black ginseng powder raw materials
Red label
red ginseng powder (saponin 40 mg/g or more, Korean origin) 15%
Black label
black ginseng powder (saponin 40 mg/g or more, Korean origin) 12%

At a glance

At a glance

‘Saponin 40 mg/g or more’ is the number attached after the ingredient names red ginseng powder and black ginseng powder, inside the parentheses in the ingredient name field. It is not a value measured on one finished stick. It is the lower limit that the powder raw material has to meet.

Look at where the figure is attached before the figure itself

On the back of the box, the ingredient name field reads ‘red ginseng powder (saponin 40 mg/g or more, Korean origin) 15%’. Where the parentheses open and close is the whole point of that line. The words inside the parentheses describe the ingredient right in front of it, in this case the red ginseng powder.

This figure does not mean that the box or a stick has a value of 40 mg/g. It means that the red ginseng powder used has a saponin specification of 40 mg/g or more. The 15% outside the parentheses separately states how much of that ingredient is used in the finished product.

Black has the same structure. With ‘black ginseng powder (saponin 40 mg/g or more, Korean origin) 12%’, the 40 mg/g or more is attached to the black ginseng powder and the 12% is attached to the blending ratio.

Inside the parentheses is a description of the ingredient, and the percentage after it is the blending ratio. The two figures count different things.

What the mg/g unit counts

mg/g is a mass ratio with 1 g in the denominator and mg in the numerator. So ‘saponin 40 mg/g or more (per 1 g of powder)’ reads as a specification stating that the labeled component is 40 mg or more per 1 g of the raw material that carries the expression.

Please read the word ‘or more’ together with it. It does not mean exactly 40. It means the value has been set so that it does not fall below 40. It is a lower limit, not a measured value.

Written on the boxWhat it is attached toWhat it means
Saponin 40 mg/g or more (per 1 g of powder)Red ginseng powder and black ginseng powder raw materialsA lower limit that does not fall below 40 mg per 1 g of the raw material
15% and 12%The finished productThe blending ratio of that powder in the finished product
100% red ginseng root body and 100% black ginseng root bodyThe raw ginsengThe part ratio of the raw ginseng used to make the powder
12 g x 10 sticksThe box contentsThe amount in one stick and the number of sticks in the box

Do not calculate the content of one finished stick from this figure

The raw material specification and the amount in a finished stick are different items. The amount of raw material used, the basis for the content stated, and the test method applied to a production batch all matter. The figure 40 mg/g or more alone cannot be used to calculate the amount in a stick.

It is more accurate to read only as much as is labeled. If the box does not state the saponin content per stick separately, that value cannot be checked at this time.

Saponin and ginsenoside are not the same term

According to South Korea's Rural Development Administration (RDA), saponin is not a term limited to ginseng. Other plants, such as bellflower root and tomato, also contain saponins. The saponins in ginseng are called ginsenosides.

Within ginsenosides there are subtypes such as Rg1, Rb1 and Rg3. So if you have seen a total figure that adds several subtypes, that is a sum of the subtypes listed, and it is not the same value as the total saponin.

What is written on the KOGIN box is a single line of raw material specification on the ‘saponin’ basis. The figures for each subtype are not on the box.

What this figure can and cannot do

  • What it can do: confirm that a lower limit is set on the powder raw material used in this product
  • What it can do: show that Red and Black both use powder specified at 40 mg/g or more
  • What it cannot do: work out how many mg of saponin one stick contains
  • What it cannot do: rank this product against the mg/g figure of another product
  • What it cannot do: be read as a result you can expect from drinking it

Label checklist

What to check on the box

  • Check which ingredient the text in parentheses describes.
  • Read 40 mg/g or more, 15%, and 12% as separate figures.
  • Check that ‘or more’ indicates a lower limit.
  • Check whether the box states a value per stick.
  • Read saponin and ginsenoside as different terms.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is 40 mg/g or more the content of one stick?

It is not the content of one stick. It is the specification attached after the ingredient names red ginseng powder and black ginseng powder in the ingredient name field.

Between red and black, which figure is higher?

Both products are labeled at the same 40 mg/g or more. What differs is the blending ratio of that powder, 15% in red and 12% in black.

Are saponin and ginsenoside the same term?

No. The saponins in ginseng are called ginsenosides, which include subtypes such as Rg1, Rb1 and Rg3.

I would like to know the amount of saponin in one stick.

If the box does not state a value per stick separately, we cannot check it for you at this time. It is more accurate not to work it out backwards from the raw material specification.

Sources

Sources used for this article