Abstract:The Chinese medicinal and edible herb，Polygonati rhizoma，was taken as the raw material and treated with a high-power electron beam with irradiation doses of 0，2，4，6，8 kGy.The changes in microbial content，content of main active substances，high-performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）fingerprint，color，moisture，ash，and extract were analyzed under different radiation doses，so as to explore the effect of high-power electron beam irradiation on the quality of Polygonati rhizoma.The results showed that the total aerobic microbial count，mold count，and saccharomycetes were significantly reduced by the electron beam irradiation.At low irradiation doses，there was no significant change in the content of active ingredients of Polygonati rhizoma（P>0.05），and the similarity of HPLC fingerprints of Polygonati rhizoma was greater than 0.90，indicating that the fingerprint of Polygonati rhizoma was consistent and stable after electron beam irradiation with different irradiation doses.When the irradiation dose was 2 kGy and 4 kGy，there was no significant change in color compared with the control group（P>0.05）.The content of moisture，ash，and alcoholsoluble extracts of Polygonati rhizoma under different irradiation doses was in line with the provisions of the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.The electron beam irradiation at a dose of 2 kGy could not only significantly reduce the microbial population in Polygonati rhizoma but also ensure its quality.