Characteristics of pectic polysaccharides from leek obtained through consecutive extraction with various reaction agents

Five polysaccharide fractions of commensurable by yield, but different in composition were obtained through consecutive extraction with water, solutions of ammonium oxalate, sodium carbonate, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide from the alcohol-insoluble residue (AIR) of leek. In the polyuronide part of these fractions besides galacturonic acid was found also glucuronic acid. In the neutral sugar fraction, the prevailing sugar was galactose, followed by rhamnose. The water-extractable pectic polysaccharide was highly homogenous (93.3% of it had molecular mass of 1.3×10 6 kDa) and protein content of 8% (the highest compared to the other extracted polysaccharides). Extraction with diluted hydrochloric acid yielded polysaccharide with the highest neutral sugar content of 71.1% and a low uronic acids content. The water-and chelate-extractable fractions had a lower L-rhamnose content (2.7% and 2.9%, respectively) and the other polysaccharide fractions from leek were characterized by a high L-rhamnose content (from 14 to 28%). The pectic polysaccharides obtained from leek have shown good immunostimulating properties. The highest immunostimulating activity has been shown by the water-and chelate-extractable polysaccharides, which are also characterized by a high polyuronic acid content and polysaccharides with molecular mass over 10 6 Da

Valorisation of Biowastes for the Production of Green Materials Using Chemical Methods

With crude oil reserves dwindling, the hunt for a sustainable alternative feedstock for fuels and materials for our society continues to expand. The biorefinery concept has enjoyed both a surge in popularity and also vocal opposition to the idea of diverting food-grade land and crops for this purpose. The idea of using the inevitable wastes arising from biomass processing, particularly farming and food production, is, therefore, gaining more attention as the feedstock for the biorefinery. For the three main components of biomass—carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins—there are long-established processes for using some of these by-products. However, the recent advances in chemical technologies are expanding both the feedstocks available for processing and the products that be obtained. Herein, this review presents some of the more recent developments in processing these molecules for green materials, as well as case studies that bring these technologies and materials together into final products for applied usage

Functional beverages based on Aronia melanocarpa affect age-related aortic wall restructuring in rats

The morphological alterations of the wall of the large arteries of elastic type, which also include the aorta, are a result of age-related restructuring and create pathophysiological prerequisites for worsening of their function and the occurrence of pathological changes. They lay at the core of many diseases, such as hypertension, dissection, aortic aneurysm and rupture of the aorta, etc. The application of natural antioxidants is one of the strategies for slowing down the vascular aging process. Aronia melanocarpa juice is a rich source of polyphenols and exhibits extremely high antioxidant activity. Enriching it with pectin and herbal extracts potentiates its effects.The aim of this experimental study was to determine the impact of various functional beverages based on Aronia melanocarpa on the age-related structural alterations in the aortic wall in rats.Methods: A model of aging male rats was used (12 months old). It was supplemented for 3 months with 100% Aronia melanocarpa juice (А), Aronia melanocarpa juice enriched with 1% pectin (А+Р) and Aronia melanocarpa juice enriched with herbal extracts (А+I). At the end of the experiment a histochemical and morphometric examination of the wall of the thoracic aorta was performed. The following parameters were measured and processed statistically: thickness of tunica media, number and thickness of the elastic membranes, and width of intermembrane spaces.Results: The comparative analysis between the groups established that in the animals supplemented with 100% Aronia juice the elastic membranes of the aortic tunica media were the thickest and the intermembrane space of the group А+I was the narrowest. The collected data suggests that Aronia melanocarpa-based functional beverages affect some of the age-related alterations in the vascular wall and may be recommended as a prophylactic means to healthy aging