Abstract
In this study, the physicochemical characterization, functional properties, and antioxidant activity of polysaccharides extracted from Ephedra alata (EAP) were investigated. EAP were extracted in water during 3 h with a liquid/solid ratio of 5 in a water bath at 90 °C. The structure of the extracted EAP was examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The functional properties and biochemical activities of EAP were determined. The chemical analysis revealed that the contents of carbohydrates, uronic acid, and proteins were 73.24% ± 1.24%, 6.82% ± 0.57%, and 6.56% ± 0.36%, respectively. The results showed that the extracted EAP essentially contain three functional groups: C=O, C-H, and O-H. SEM images showed that EAP present numerous high porosity particles. The monosaccharide composition revealed a polymer composed of glucose (43.1%), galactose (36.4%), mannose (14.9%), arabinose (3.7%), and gluconic acid (1.7%). EAP showed interesting functional properties (solubility, oil holding capacity, foaming and emulsion properties). Finally, the results revealed that EAP displayed excellent antihypertensive and antioxidant activities. Overall, EAP present a promising natural source of food additives, antioxidants, and antihypertensive agents.
Highlights
Polysaccharides are carbohydrate polymers that are widely present in plants, animals, and microorganisms [1]
The recovered EAP content was 4% ± 1.02%, which is higher than that obtained from E. sinica stems (0.85%) [21], and in the same range as that extracted from E. sinica Stapf stems (4.9%) [22]
It was reported that the extraction yield of polysaccharides is highly influenced by the extraction time and temperature, as well as the solid/liquid ratio [24]
Summary
Polysaccharides are carbohydrate polymers that are widely present in plants, animals, and microorganisms [1]. They have drawn considerable attention owing to their widespread use in different industrial fields such as foods and pharmaceuticals [2]. Commonly known in Tunisia as ”alenda”, belongs to the Ephedraceae family containing more than 60 species of nonflowering seed plants, with light green densely branched dioecious small and perennial stiff shrub about 50–100 cm tall [8]. The plant stems are usually chewed to treat bacterial and fungal infections [10]
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