• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.751-755
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• 1998

Functional properties of yam mucilage were investigated by physicochemical analysis. Yam mucilage was extracted from the root of yam and then separated into two fractions by its selective aggregation with isopropanol concentration. Each mucilge fraction showed the excellent binding properties with heavy metal ions Co, Cr and Cu. Cr showed the higher affinity with mucilage than Co and Cu at pH 6.3. In ACE inhibition, IC50 values of mucilage fraction 1 and 2 showed 8.99$\mu\textrm{g}$/${mu}ell$ and 7.1$\mu\textrm{g}$/${mu}ell$, respectively.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.94-99
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• 2007

The immunostimulating activities of mucilage fraction from yam were investigated. The proliferation of BSA-primed lymph node cells was enhanced between 4.1- to 10.9-fold compare to control, when cultured with 1 to $25{\mu}g/mL$ of yam-mucilage fraction. It showed strong immunostimulating activity than ginseng extract and as remarkable as Bifidobacterium adolescentis M101-4 known as a positive immunostimulator. Mitogenicity to lymph node cells was fully induced by concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide. The proliferation of splenocytes and Peyer's patch cells was enhanced between 5.0- to 14.1-fold and 2.4- to 6.4-fold, respectively, when cultured with 1 to $25{\mu}g/mL$ of yam-mucilage fraction. It enhanced the production of cytokines such as tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ and IL-6 in the culture of RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. In the culture of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, production of cytokines was as similar as compared to controls. In unstimulated RAW 264.7 cells, both tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ and IL-6 production were enhanced between 15.6- to 60.1-fold and 2.3- to 9.1-fold, respectively. Mucilage fraction from yam is expected to be a safe immunopotentiator to maintain the host immunity and develop a physiologically functional food.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.805-809
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• 1999

The growth of Lactobacillus casei in milk was enhanced by adding yams. Addition of 1% yam(raw or dry) promoted the cell growth and acid production in fermented milk. The milk containing 1% yams formed the complete curd by lactic acid fermentation at 37oC for 19hr while the milk without yams showed the incomplete curd formation. The crude mucilage extracted from a raw yam also enhanced the cell growth as well as the acid production. Addition of mucilage(0.08%) showed the similar effects with adding heat treated yam(1%). The milk fermented by adding various yams showed the high scores for sensory evaluation comparing with the milk fermented without yams. The fermenting ability of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus kefir and Leuconostoc mesenteroides was evaluated by adding 1% of a dry yam in milk. A dry yam also enhanced the cell growth of L. acidophilus resulting in the high acid production. The viable cell counts of L. casei, L. acidophilus and Leuc. mesenteroides except L. kefir were increased by adding 1% of a dry yam.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 1984

Yam, Dioscorea batatas Decne (Dioscoreaceae) is a plant growing in Korea. Dioscoreae Rhizoma in the markets are classified into natural and cultural ones. These studies were conducted to investigate the differencies between natural and cultural Yams by characteristics of morphology, cell contents, chemical components and physical properties. More mucilage cells which contain calcium-oxalate raphides were contained in cultural Yam than natural Yam. However, the amount of crude protein, crude lipid and mucilage viscosity, swelling, gelatinization of polysaccharides were greater in natural Yam than the other. It is suggested that natural Yam is excellent as nutrition agent in quality and worthwhile as a resource of crude drugs.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.795-801
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• 2001

Effects of Mucilage fraction from Yam (Dioscorea batatas DECENE), which has long been used as a wild vegetable and folk medicine, on blood glucose and lipid composition in alloxan-induced diabetic mice were investigated. Diabetes mellitus was induced in male ICR mice by the injection of alloxan into the tail vein at a dose of 75 mg/kgBW. Alloxan-induced diabetic mice were administered the yam mucilage fraction1 orally ; y500F1 group (500 mg/kgBW/day fraction1) and y750F1 group (750 mg/kgBW/day fraction1); and the normal and alloxan-control group were orally administered with saline for 10 days. The body weight gain and food intake were monitored every day. The concentrations of glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol of serum and liver levels of glucose, triglyceride, and cholesterol were determined. Also weight of liver, heart, spleen and kidney were measured. The fraction 1 of yam mucilage lowered body weight gain significantly (p<0.05) and decreased serum glucose levels in alloxan-induced diatetic mice compared to that of alloxan-control group. In alloxan induced diabetic mice serum triglyceride level was lowered and liver HDL-cholesterol level increased significantly (p<0.05). In conclusion, it was assumed that yam mucilage fraction 1 has anti-hyperglycemic and anti-obesitic effects by reducing body weight gain and decreasing serum glucose and triglyceride level.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.274-283
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• 1990

This study was conducted to further characterize mucilages from Dioscoreae Rhizoma, which have been known to be proteoglycans. We chose the two types of yams, Dioscorea batatas Dec. (club-like) and D. japonica Thunb. (cane-like). Repeated gel filtration of a dialyzed water extract of each fresh yam on Bio-gel P-100 and then Sephadex G-150 columns completely separated the mucilage from protein. Furthermore, gel filtration of a water extract from each yam processed by steaming and drying on the Bio-gel P-100 column gave only one polysaccharide peak without protein. These results revealed that the mucilages of yams were only composed of polysaccharide. Then we assessed some properties of the mucilages under three kinds of criteria: a complex-forming capacity between mucilage and alcian blue, mannose content in the mucilage, and viscosity. The complex-forming capacities of two types of fresh yams were closely similar with each other, but the processing of two types of the fresh yams greatly lowered the complex-forming capacity and viscosity.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.596-602
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• 1994

To separate and concentrate mucilage from yam(Dioscorea batatas DECNE), yam was dried, microparticulated using impact mill and air-classified at different air classifying wheel speed(ACWS) in classifier. As ACWS increased from 5,000 rpm to 22,500 rpm, the contents of dietary fiber, protein and lipid of air classified microparticles(ACM) increased remarkably. Especially the ACM with ACWS over 15,000 rpm showed 36.41% dietary fiber and 16.66% protein. The dietary fiber and protein components were concentrated to $2.5{\sim}9.0$ times as compared with whole yam powder. Concomitantly the non-fibrous carbohydrate decreased from 88.31% to 16.84. The damaged starch(%), WSI and WAI of ACM of ACWS over 15,000 rpm were $1.5{\sim}3.0$ times higher than those of ACM under ACWS 15,000 rpm. The apparent viscosity of ACM was 0.0800 Pa s over ACWS 15,000 rpm and 0.0080 Pa s under ACWS 15,000 rpm. Judging from viscosity of ACM, the mucilage component of yam was concentrated to 10 times. In conclusion, the optimum process to separate and concentrate the mucilage from yam consisted of the microparticulation to $5{\sim}30{\mu}m$ and the air-classification at ACWS over 15,000 rpm.