College of Food Science and Technology, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, PR China.
College of Food Science and Technology, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, PR China.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Aug 30;247:125712. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125712. Epub 2023 Jul 6.
Ficus awkeotsang Makino (jelly fig) can produce edible gels by rubbing its seeds in water at room temperature in which pectin is considered as the main gelling component. However, the spontaneous gelation mechanism of Ficus awkeotsang Makino (jelly fig) pectin (JFSP) is still unclear. This study aimed to reveal the structure, physicochemical properties, and spontaneous gelation behaviors and mechanism of JFSP. JFSP was first obtained by water extraction and alcohol precipitation method, with a pectin yield of 13.25 ± 0.42 % (w/w), weight-average molar mass (Mw) of 111.26 kDa, and methoxylation degree (DM) of 26.8 %. Analysis of monosaccharide compositions showed that JFSP was composed of 87.8 % galactose acid, indicating a high percentage of galacturonic acid blocks. Measurement on the gelling capacity suggested that JFSP gels can be easily formed by simply dispersing the pectin in water at room temperature without adding any co-solutes or metal ions. Gelation force analysis indicated that hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and electrostatic interactions were the main factors contributing to gel formation. At 1.0 % (w/v) of pectin concentration, JFSP gels exhibited relatively high gel hardness (72.75 ± 1.15 g) and good thermal and freeze-thawing stability. Overall, these findings highlight the potential application of JFSP as a promising commercial pectin resource.
阿柯榕（薜荔）种子在室温下用水搓揉即可产生食用凝胶，其中果胶被认为是主要的胶凝成分。然而，阿柯榕果胶（JFSP）的自发胶凝机制仍不清楚。本研究旨在揭示 JFSP 的结构、理化性质、自发胶凝行为和机制。JFSP 首先通过水提取和醇沉淀法获得，果胶得率为 13.25±0.42%（w/w），重均分子量（Mw）为 111.26 kDa，甲氧基化度（DM）为 26.8%。单糖组成分析表明，JFSP 由 87.8%的半乳糖酸组成，表明半乳糖醛酸块的比例较高。凝胶能力的测量表明，JFSP 果胶只需在室温下简单分散在水中即可形成凝胶，无需添加任何共溶质或金属离子。凝胶力分析表明，氢键、疏水相互作用和静电相互作用是形成凝胶的主要因素。在 1.0%（w/v）的果胶浓度下，JFSP 凝胶表现出相对较高的凝胶硬度（72.75±1.15 g）和良好的热稳定性和冻融稳定性。总的来说，这些发现强调了 JFSP 作为一种有前途的商业果胶资源的潜在应用。
