Characterization of a novel polysaccharide isolated from Phyllanthus emblica L. and analysis of its antioxidant activities

• DOI: 10.1007/s13197-018-3199-6
• Publication Date: 2018-05-24T04:41:32Z
• Authors: Yongyu Li; Jianyan Chen; Lili Cao; Liang Li; Fang Wang; Zhengping Liao; Jianjun Chen; Shaohua Wu; Liaoyuan Zhang
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences; 0405 other agricultural sciences

Phyllanthus emblica L. is a tropical deciduous tree producing edible berries with potential medicinal value. In this study, a novel water-soluble phyllanthus emblica polysaccharide (PEP) from the berries was isolated by precipitation and purification, and analyzed for its structure features. The results showed that PEP was a α-pyran acidic heteropolysaccharide with a molecular weight of 1.31 × 105 Da, which included galacturonic acid, galactose, rhamnose, and arabinose with a molar ratio of 3.21:6.59:1:0.23. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities of PEP were determined and showed remarkable antioxidant capacities in DPPH, superoxide anion- and hydroxyl-radical scavenging, ferric-reducing antioxidant power, and lipid peroxidation inhibition. This work indicated that PEP as a natural antioxidant agent from the berries of Phyllanthus emblica L. had potential application for developing valuable nutraceutical in food industry.