Characterization and distribution of phenolics in carrot cell walls

  • Published : 2003.10.01

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the release of p-hydroxybenzoic acid and other compounds from cell wall materials(CWM) and their cellulose fraction from carrot with chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis. To investigate this effect on cell wall chemistry of carrot, alcohol insoluble residue(AIR) of CWM were prepared and were extracted sequentially with water, imidazole, CDTA(-1, -2), Na$_2$CO$_3$(-1, -2), KOH(0.5, 1.0 and 4M), to leave a residue. These were analysed for their carbohydrate and phenolic acids composition. Arabinose and galactose were the main noncellulosic sugars. Phenolics esterified to cell walls in carrot were found to consist primarily of p-hydroxybenzoic acid with minor contribution from vanillin, ferulic acid and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde. p-Hydroxybenzoic acid was quite strongly bound to the cell wall. The contents of p-hydroxybenzoic acid in 0.5M KOH, Na$_2$CO$_3$-2, IM KOH, and ${\alpha}$-cellulose were 2,097, 1,360, 1,140, and 717 $\mu\textrm{g}$/g AIR from CWM, respectively. Alkali labile unknown aromatic compound(C$\sub$7/H$\sub$10/O$_2$) was found in ${\alpha}$ -cellulose hydrolyzate digested with driselase and cellulase. This compound was also found in hydrolyzate of 2 M trifluoroacetic acid at 120$^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours. Driselase treatment solubilized only 46.6 $\mu\textrm{g}$/g of the p-hydroxybenzoic acid from carrot AIR. These results indicate that p-hydroxybenzoic acid was associated with neutral polysaccharides, long chain galactose and branched arabinan from graded alcohol precipitation.

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