Arabinans from the roots of horsebean ( Vicia faba)

Abstract

Young roots from the horsebean ( Vicia faba L.) show a very high content of arabinose among their constituent cell-wall carbohydrates. Two water-soluble arabinans have been isolated from the cell-wall material. Their structures have been established by chemical methods and by 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy and showed to consist of an α-(1→5)-linked backbone of l-arabinofuranose residues; arabinopyranose residues are absent. The latter feature make these polysaccharides slightly different from arabinans from other origins that are characterized by their high degree of branching.