Stachyose Content Research Articles

Dissimilarity in low molecular weight carbohydrate composition of the seeds of cultivated soybean (Glycine max (L.) MERRILL subsp. max) and wild soybean(G. max subsp. soja (SIEB. et ZUCC.) OHASHI).

The composition of low molecular weight carbohydrates in 26 samples of cultivated and wild soybeans were determined by gas liquid chromatography. Sucrose and stachyose were found to be major sugars in their seeds. The wild and cultivated types were different in their carbohydrate compositions. The cultivated types showed higher sucrose, galactopinitol A, galactinol and digalactosylglycerol contents and a lower stachyose content than the wild types.

Changes in carbohydrate and enzyme levels during the sink to source transition of leaves of Cucumis sativus L., a stachyose translocator

The sink to source transition of expanding leaves of cucumber was studied by sampling leaves sequentially from the growing stem apex toward the base of the plant. Leaf fresh weight and photosynthetic rate increased in the progression to lower nodes. Sucrose and raffinose concentrations were higher in sink leaves than in source leaves. Galactinol and stachyose concentrations increased during leaf expansion. Both alkaline and acidic α-galactosidase activity declined during leaf expansion, whereas galactinol synthase activity increased abruptly in leaves beginning in the leaf at the fourth node below the apex. This increase in activity corresponded temporally to marked changes in the oligosaccharide composition of the leaves in favor of galactosyl-saccharides, particularly stachyose. Across all leaf positions, galactinol synthase correlated positively with galactosyl-oligosaccharide concentration ( r = 0.90) and correlated negatively with sucrose concentration ( r = −0.82). The ratio of stachyose to raffinose correlated positively with the ratio of galactinol synthase to α-galactosidase ( r = 0.95). The results point to the importance of changes in enzyme levels per se as determinants of changes in soluble carbohydrate levels associated with acquisition of export capability during leaf expansion.

Antinutritional factors in legumes of the Sonoran Desert

Ten samples of legumes indigenous to the Sonoran Desert were analyzed for antinutritional factors: flatulent oligosaccharides, trypsin inhibitors, lectins, phytic acid and cyanogenic glycosides. These samples represented the following species: Phaseolus acutifolius var. latifolius. Phaseolus vulgaris, Lysiloma watsonii and Parkinsonia aculeata. The raffinose and stachyose contents of the beans ranged from 0.00–3.57 percent and 0.00–5.45 percent respectively. The trypsin inhibitor (TI) activities ranged from 2.3–60.4 TIU/mg; heat treatment decreased TI activity from 0–97 percent. Phytic acid ranged from 0.48–1.02 percent. Cyanogenic glycosides were not detected in any of the samples. Lectin extracts from all of the legume samples agglutinated rabbit, hamster and bovine red blood cells. Reduction of hemagglutinating activity upon heat treatment ranged from 0–100 percent.

Identification and Distribution of Some Carbohydrates of the Muskmelon Plant

Abstract The concentration of fructose, glucose, sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose in the leaves, stem, and fruit of the muskmelon plant (Cucumis melo L.) was determined using paper and gas chromatography. Stachyose was the predominant sugar in the leaves but was absent in the developing fruit. Most of the 14C label in 14CO2-treated leaves was associated with stachyose, while the 14C label in the fruit was associated with fructose and glucose. The concentration of stachyose was highest in the leaves, intermediate in the stem, and lowest in the fruit.

Oligosaccharide Content of 20 Varieties of Cowpeas in Nigeria

ABSTRACTMature dry seeds of 20 varieties of cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) grown in Nigeria were analyzed for their sucrose, raffinose and stachyose content. The dry seeds were ground into powder, extracted with 80% ethanolandthe extract analyzed by paper chromatography using a mixture of n‐butanol, ethanol, water and ammonia solution 8:1:2:1 v/v). The results show a progressive decrease in raffinose and stachyose content with dehulling and cooking and an increase in sucrose level after cooking. The average content of the sugars in whole beans on dry weight basis was sucrose 0.8%, raffinose 2.6% and stachyose 3.3%. The average content for dehulled raw beans were sucrose 0.7%, raffinose 1.8% and stachyose 2.4% while in cooked beans it was 1.6%, 1.3%, and 1.8%, respectively.

Carbohydrate Changes during Maturation of Cucumber Fruit

Changes in the carbohydrate profiles in the mesocarp, endocarp, and seeds of maturing cucumber (Cucumis sativus, L.) fruit were analyzed. Fruit maturity was measured by a decrease in endocarp pH, which was found to correlate with a loss in peel chlorophyll and an increase in citric acid content. Concentrations of glucose and fructose (8.6-10.3 milligrams per gram fresh weight, respectively) were found to be higher than the concentration of sucrose (0.3 milligrams per gram fresh weight) in both mesocarp and endocarp tissue. Neither raffinose nor stachyose were found in these tissues. The levels of glucose and fructose in seeds decreased during development, but sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose accumulated during the late stages of maturation. Both raffinose and stachyose were found in the seeds of six lines of Cucumis sativus L. This accumulation of raffinose saccharides coincided with an increase in galactinol synthase activity in the seeds. Funiculi from maturing fruit were found to be high in sucrose concentration (4.8 milligrams per gram fresh weight) but devoid of both raffinose and stachyose. The results indicated that sucrose is the transport sugar from the peduncle to seed, and that raffinose saccharide accumulation in the seed is the result of in situ biosynthesis and not from direct vascular transport of these oligosaccharides into the seeds.

The determination of the component oligosaccharides of lupinseeds by high pressure liquid chromatography

AbstractA simple rapid method is reported for the analysis of oligosaccharides in lupinseeds. The procedure involves extraction of the ground, defatted seeds with aqueous methanol, precipitation of protein with Carrez solution and subsequent analysis using high pressure liquid chromatography. The chromatographic separation utilises Spherisorb amino columns (five micron) packed in our laboratory. Quantification is achieved by direct comparison with aqueous standards. The oligosaccharide composition of ten lupinseed varieties, from four species, are reported and the values obtained compared with those found for soy beans. The contents of stachyose and verbascose, which are considered to be of major importance as flatus factors, are found to be similar to those in soy beans for some lupinseed species (L. albus and L. angustifolius) but considerably higher in others (L. luteus and L. mutabilis).

Relationship Between the Content of Oil, Protein, and Sugar in Soybean Seed1

AbstractThe oligosaccharides, raffinose and stachyose, have been implicated as causative factors for the flatulence and uncomfortable feeling often experienced after consuming products containing soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] meal. Soybeans are primarily grown for their oil and protein content. Their value might be enhanced, however, if the oil and protein content remained high and the oligosaccharide content were lowered to make them more acceptable for human consumption.Seeds of 60 selected lines from Maturity Groups 00 through IV were analyzed for protein, oil, total sugar, and individual sugar content. The ranges in values for oil, protein, total sugar, sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose were 14.5 to 23.0, 33.1 to 49.2, 5.6 to 10.9, 2.5 to 8.2, 0.1 to 0.9, and 1.4 to 4.1 g per 100 g seed respectively. Simple correlation analysis revealed that total sugar content and oil content in soybean seeds are positively associated, and each was negatively correlated with protein content. Sucrose and raffinose content were positively correlated with oil content, while stachyose content was positively associated with protein. Even though the correlation between certain sugars and oil or protein was statistically significant, considerable variation in total sugar content was not explained by the coefficient of determination (r2).

Variation in the Intestinal Gas‐Forming Sugars in Peanut Cultivars1

The interaction of intestinal flora with low molecular weight carbohydrates, especially raffinose and stachyose, has been shown to be the primary factor for the flatulence and uncomfortable feeling often experienced by human beings after consuming products containing legume seed meal. There is conflicting evidence, however, concerning the gas‐producing properties of the peanut Arachis hypogaea L.Seed of 16 cultivars of peanuts were analyzed for protein, oil, total sugar, and individual sugar content. The range in values for protein, oil, total sugar, and sucrose were 27.2 to 33.2, 45.5 to 51.5, 3.2 to 6.4, and 2.7 to 5.6 g per 100 g seed, respectively. Except for ‘Virginia 56R’ and ‘Florigiant,’ the cultivars had raffinose contents of 0.1 g or less per 100 g seed. The cultivars ‘Argentine,’ ‘Early Runner,’ ‘Spancross,’ ‘Tifspan,’ and ‘Virginia Bunch 67’ had stachyose contents of less than 0.1 g per 100 g seed. Based on chemical analyses, these cultivars may be nongas producers. Florigiant, ‘Florunner,’ ‘N.C. 2,’ ‘N.C. 5,’ ‘N.C. 17,’ ‘Starr,’ Virginia 56R, and ‘Virginia 61R’ with 0.4 or 0.5 g stachyose per 100 g seed may be gas producers.

Stability of sugar content in soybean strains

Abstract Objectives in this study were to measure total sugar and individual sugar content in whole, mature, soybeans of certain strains and to determine the stability of these components in strains grown over a wide geographical area. Soybean seed of three selected strains from each Maturity Group in the 1970 Uniform Tests‐Northern States were analyzed for total sugar, sucrose, raffinose and stachyose content. For Maturity Groups 00, 0, I, II, III and IV there were 10, 12, 23, 33, 27 and 24 locations, respectively. The locations were in 17 states and 2 Canadian provinces. The average content of total sugar, sucrose, raffinose and stachyose was 9.36, 5.96, 0.75 and 2.65 g per 100 g seed, respectively. Analysis of variance of total sugar content and individual sugars among the three strains within each Maturity Group revealed significant differences (P<.01) in total sugar among strains in Maturity Groups II and III but not in the other four Maturity Groups. Except for strains within Maturity Group IV, ther...

Changes in the oligosaccharides and the α-galactosidase content of coffee seeds during soaking and germination

The oligosaccharides sucrose, raffinose and stachyose are present in the seeds of different varieties of coffee belonging to the species Coffea arabica and C. robusta that were investigated. The sucrose content was more than ninety times that of raffinose in C. arabica varieties but only about forty times more in the C. robusta variety. Stachyose content in all cases was about 1·5 times greater than raffinose. During soaking, the three sugars decreased by about 50 per cent, and during germination, while there was a further reduction of about 50 per cent in sucrose content, raffinose and stachyose disappeared in the C. arabica varieties and were greatly reduced in the C. robusta variety. During the disappearance of these oligosaccharides traces of glucose and fructose appeared, but galactose, melibiose or manninotriose were not detectable at any stage. α-Galactosidase activity was fairly high in resting seeds. This activity increased by 50–75 per cent on soaking and increased further by another 25–55 per cent on germination of the seeds, the increase being greater both on soaking and on germination in the seeds of C. arabica varieties than in the seeds of the C. robusta variety.

WATER‐SOLUBLE CARBOHYDRATES OF SEEDS OF THE GRAMINEAE

summaryQualitative and quantitative determinations have been made of the sugars, oligosaccha‐rides and water‐soluble polysaccharides of the seeds of twenty‐two species of the Gramineae.Although in most species sucrose was the most plentiful free sugar, in Lolium perenne and in Festuca pratensis a trisaccharide which contained residues of galactose, glucose and fructose and which was chromatographically distinct from raffinose constituted the most abundant oligosaccharide; in Elymus arenarius and in Bromus sterilis an homologous series of low‐molecular fructosans represented the major simple carbohydrate. Similar fructosans were also present in Agropyron repens.Raffinose was present in fifteen of the seeds examined and stachyose in ten of these fifteen raffinose‐containing seeds. The contents of raffinose and stachyose were positively correlated.Water‐soluble polysaccharides were obtained in yields approaching 1 per cent of the dry weight of the seeds from certain members of the Bromeae, the Hordeeae, the Festuceae and the Aveneae; yields from members of other tribes were low and predominantly dextrinous in nature.A pure β‐glucosan, resembling that of cultivated barley, has been obtained from Bromus, from Avena and Arrhenatherum, and from Dactylis and other members of the Festuceae. The polysaccharide prepared from Nardus contained a high proportion of mannan and that from Molinia a high proportion of galactan.When the water‐soluble carbohydrates of these seeds are considered in relation to the classification of the Gramineae, it is seen that Bromus is quite distinct from Brachy‐podium; that the members of the Festuceae here examined show underlying similarity in the composition of their water‐soluble polysaccharides, though Festuca pratensis and Lolium perenne are distinctive in containing an unusual trisaccharide; that Avena and Arrhenatherum differ from the other two members of the Aveneae examined (Holcus and Anthoxanthum) and that the members of the Hordeae constitute a natural group on the basis of their sugars content.