Optimization of the protocol of polysaccharides ethanolic extraction contained in different plant seeds

Abstract

The growing interest in the development of products of biological origin, which use processing technologies that can reduce the social dependence on synthetic products, has encouraged the prospecting of natural polymers. Polysaccharides are examples of biopolymers that have interesting properties for various biotechnological applications, especially because they are biodegradable, biocompatible, and low or no toxic. The processing of polysaccharides at the industrial level, however, requires numerous previous steps; among them, extraction is considered a determining factor for obtaining a good yield and possible replication on an industrial scale. This work aimed to optimize the polysaccharide extraction methodology proposed by Albuquerque et al., (2014) for the polysaccharides of Morinda citrifolia (Polinoni) and Senna occidentalis (Polimanji) seeds. The extraction was performed by ethanolic precipitation, centrifugation, and washes with ethanol and acetone; then, extraction yields and total carbohydrate concentration were calculated. Finally, the polysaccharide nature of biopolymers was analyzed by FT-IR. Polimanji and Polinoni were extracted with 19.84 ± 1.19 % and 5.63 ± 1.59 % yield and presented a total carbohydrate concentration of 3.25 ± 0.17 mg/mL and 6.66 ± 0.20 mg/mL, respectively. FT-IR showed absorption peaks characteristic of polysaccharides for both biopolymers. The results obtained indicate that the optimization of the extractive protocol emerges as an efficient technique in the extraction of polysaccharides contained in plant seeds because it adapts to the characteristics of each substrate, besides presenting low cost and duration when compared to other methods.