FUNCTIONAL POLYSACCHARIDES FROM LILIES

摘要

The present study is concerned with physical and chemical characterization of polysaccharides in fresh lilies. Plant polysaccharides have been found to have many clinical benefits, including lowering blood sugars. Consumption of fresh lilies as food in China and other part of the world is rapidly increasing. Understanding the physical and chemical properties of lily polysaccharides is the first step toward further clinical studies. Fresh lilies were extracted using a hot water extraction method. Several techniques were used to remove residual proteins. DEAE cellulose columns were used to purify the isolates. Paper and gas chromatography techniques were used to determine the compositions and molecular weights of the polysaccharides. Two fractions of lily polysaccharides, namely LP1 and LP2, were obtained. It was found that LP1 contained mainly glucose and mannose (glucose:mannose = 1:2.46) with an average molecular weight of 79,400, and LP2 contained glucose, galactose, mannose, arabinose, and galacturonic acid (1:0.73:2.6:1.8:0.84) with an average molecular weight of 18,150