Chemical characterization and bioactivities of fructans from Pfaffia glomerata roots

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Pfaffia glomerata (Amaranthaceae), known as “Brazilian ginseng”, is traditionally used in folk medicine to promote health benefits. Recent studies have demonstrated that P. glomerata roots are a promising source of compounds, including fructan-type carbohydrates and β-ecdysone, which have interesting pharmacological activities. The objective of this study was to isolate, characterize and evaluate the prebiotic and antioxidant potential of fructans from P. glomerata ex vitro roots and adventitious roots cultivated in vitro in a roller bottle system. The chemical characterization of the samples by NMR and ESI-HRMS showed that it was possible to obtain inulin molecules in the ex vitro precipitated fraction with degree of polymerization (DP) of 15.33, while molecules of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) with a DP of 7.77 were characterized in the supernatant fraction. The in vitro supernatant fraction (DP = 2.89) was evaluated by the DPPH (558.61 μmoL Trolox/mg), ABTS (492.67 μmoL Trolox/mg) and FRAP (1132.19 μmoL Trolox/mg) methods, which together suggested high antioxidant potential. The prebiotic evaluation of these molecules demonstrated fermentation capacity of Lactobacillus and Bacillus. The data obtained indicate that roots of P. glomerata ex vitro and cultured in vitro in a roller bottle system represent promising sources for the sustainable production of FOS and inulin, which can have different industrial applications.