Valorization of Polysaccharides Obtained from Dark Tea: Preparation, Physicochemical, Antioxidant, and Hypoglycemic Properties

The structure and hypoglycemic activity of tea polysaccharides has been extensively studied, while there are few reports on the characterization and hypoglycemic activity of dark tea polysaccharides. The crude dark tea polysaccharide (CDTPS) was optimally extracted from Fuzhuan dark tea. Six polysaccharide fractions (namely DTPS-1, DTPS-2, DTPS-3, DTPS-4, DTPS-5, and DTPS-6) were isolated from CDTPS, and their physicochemical, structural, and biological properties were compared and analyzed. The results revealed that the compositions, structural characteristics, and biological properties of the six DTPSs were different. Therein, DTPS-4 and DTPS-6 had looser morphology, faster solubility, and a more stable structure. Additionally, DTPS-4 had the optimum in vitro antioxidant capabilities, and DTPS-6 had the strongest in vitro hypoglycemic capabilities. In addition, a correlation analysis revealed that the molecular weight and uronic acid content were significantly related to their antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities. Our results indicated that DTPS-4 and DTPS-6 could be further developed into functional foods or additives, respectively.

Aqueous extracts characteristics obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction from Ascophyllum nodosum seaweeds: effect of operation conditions

Aqueous extracts from Ascophyllum nodosum brown edible seaweeds were obtained after continuous ultrasound-assisted extraction. The effect of sonication time (from 2 to 6 min), sonication amplitude (from 80 to 100%) and solvent-solid ratio (from 20 to 40 g water g−1 dried seaweed) on the extracts features was studied employing a Box-Behnken experimental design. Extracts were characterised by polyphenols, carbohydrate and uronic acid content. Response surface method (by means of a quadratic model) was successfully employed to relate chemical composition of extracts and operation conditions. Optimal experimental conditions were established to obtain maximal polyphenols content and several polyphenols-carbohydrates ratios together with the conditions that minimise energy consumption per extracted polyphenols amount relationship. Antioxidant capacities of extracts were measured employing different methods (DPPH, FRAP and ABTS). Positive linear correlations between antioxidant activity and total polyphenols content were established.

Extraction, Purification, Characterization, and Antiangiogenic Activity of Acidic Polysaccharide from Buddleja officinalis

Firstly, optimal parameters of crude polysaccharide from Buddleja officinalis were obtained as follows: ratio of water to raw material of 26 : 1, ultrasonic power of 240 W, ultrasonic time of 45 min, and ultrasonic temperature of 62°C. Secondly, acidic polysaccharide (APBOM) from Buddleja officinalis was successfully acquired with the yield of 9.57% by using DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephadex G-100 gel column chromatography. Then, we found that total polysaccharide content of APBOM was 94.37% with a sulfuric acid group of 1.68%, uronic acid content of 17.41%, and average molecular weight of 165.4 kDa. Finally, APBOM was confirmed to have significant antiangiogenic effects.

Microwave-Assisted Extraction, Purification, Partial Characterization, and Bioactivity of Polysaccharides from Panax ginseng

Polysaccharides are a main active substance in Panax ginseng; however, microwave-assisted extraction used to prepare P. ginseng polysaccharides (MPPG) has rarely been reported, and knowledge of the bactericidal activity of P. ginseng polysaccharides remains low. Thus, this study was designed to investigate the extraction of P. ginseng polysaccharides by using two methods—hot water extraction and microwave-assisted extraction—and compare their chemical composition and structure. In addition, their antibacterial and antioxidant activities were also determined. The data implied that P. ginseng polysaccharides extracted by microwave-assisted extraction possessed a higher extraction yield than hot water extraction (WPPG) under optimized conditions, and the actual yields were 41.6% ± 0.09% and 28.5% ± 1.62%, respectively. Moreover, the preliminary characterization of polysaccharides was identified after purification. The WPPG with the molecular weight (Mw) of 2.07 × 105 Da was composed of Man, Rib, Rha, GalA, Glu, Gal, and Arab, and the typical characteristics of polysaccharides were determined by IR spectra. Compared with WPPG, MPPG had a higher Mw, uronic acid content, and Glu content. More importantly, the antioxidant activity of MPPG was higher than WPPG, which was probably ascribed to its highly Mw and abundant uronic acid content. Besides, both of them exhibited high bactericidal activity. These results demonstrate that microwave-assisted extraction is an effective method for obtaining P. ginseng polysaccharides, and MPPG could be applied as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent.

Cationization of Eucalyptus grandis 4-O-methyl glucuronoxylan for application as a wet-end additive in a papermaking process

Hemicelluloses extracted prior to kraft pulping can subsequently be introduced as wet-end strength additives in a papermaking process. The 4-O-methyl glucuronoxylan (Me-GluX) extracted from Eucalyptus grandis (E. grandis) under mild alkaline conditions was cationized and added to bleached kraft pulp (BKP) from E. grandis before refining. The cationization by 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride (ETA) was done in a central composite designed experiment. Me-GluX with an average molecular weight of 52,000 g mol-1 contained 27% Klason residue. The cationic Me-GluX had degrees of substitution of the cationic side chain between 0.05 and 0.73 and uronic acid content between 6.1% and 12.7%. The cationic Me-GluX as a wet-end strength additive was compared to cationic starch (CatStarch 134) in handsheets. The handsheets with cationic Me-GluX showed improvement in tensile, burst, and tear indices and had lower air permeability than those with CatStarch 134 at dosages between 1.0% and 2.0%. Accordingly, cationized Me-GluX is a potential green wet-end strength additive, which could fully or partially replace the synthetic and starch additives.

Behavior of xylans from Eucalyptus species. Part 1. The influence of structural features of eucalyptus xylans on their retention in kraft pulp

4-O-methylglucuronoxylans were isolated from the wood and pulp of different Eucalyptus species (E. dunni, E. grandis, E. nitens, E. urograndis and E. urophylla) and characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). The content of 4-O-methylglucuronic acid (MeGlcA) varied between the eucalyptus species from 1.90 to 2.80 expressed as MeGlcA/10 xyloses, whereas in the pulp, the total uronic acid content was approximately 1.02, from which the half was hexenuronic acid (HexA). From the MeGlcA linked to the xylan chain 9–26% are substituted in position O-2 by hexose units. The Mw of the xylans extracted from wood ranged between 26.1 and 28.4 kDa. The retention of 4-O-methylglucuronoxylans (51.3–58.7%) during kraft pulping was high, and the retention is related to the content of MeGlcA group, the content of MeGlcA group substituted at O-2, and the average molecular weight of the xylans. The parameters observed affect the overall pulp yield and pulp properties.