Abstract

CARBOHYDRATE COMPOSITION OF MUCILAGE EXTRACTED FROM VARIOUS PLANT PARTS

*Alvikar Annapurna R. and D. K. Gaikwad

ABSTRACT

The gum and mucilage are the valuable non-toxic ecofriendly source of polymers utilized in pharmaceuticals. The mucilage was isolated from leaves of Jaquilinia armilaris, flowers of Bombax ceiba, inflorescence of Parkia biglalndulosa and fruits of Bridelia scandens. The isolated and purified mucilage was used to analyse the polysaccharide, oligosaccharide content such as starch, total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugars. It was observed that the Parkia biglalndulosa (inflorescence), Bombax ceiba (flowers) and Bridelia scandens (fruits) mucilage show starchy nature with highest content of amylopectin than the amylose, while Jaquilinia armilaris exhibits the higher levels of amylose than the amylopectin. It was also noticed that the Bridelia scandens (fruits) and Bombax ceiba (flowers) shows very low levels of amylose content. The starch granules of Bombax ceiba (flowers) and Bridelia scandens (fruits) were soft, elastic and weak due to the presence of lower amylose and higher amylopectin content. Sugar content of mucilage indicates the higher levels of total and non-reducing sugars in fruits and flowers of Bridellia scandens and Bombax ceiba respectively than the Parkia biglandulosa (inflorescence) and Jaquilinia armilaris (leaves).

Keywords: Parkia biglalndulosa (inflorescence), Bombax ceiba (flowers), Bridelia scandens (fruits) and Jaquilinia armilaris (leaves), Amylose, Amylopectin, Starch and Sugars.