Polysaccharide from Inga edulis Pods: Emulsifying Potential and Evaluation of the Extraction Conditions Using Taguchi Approach

Inga edulis fruits, an important cultivation commonly associated with coffee and cacao farming, were collected from Baturité, located in Ceará, Brazil. Polysaccharides from Inga edulis pods were extracted using citric acid solution, and the impact of the extraction conditions in the properties of the resultant polysaccharide such as the degree of methyl-esterification behavior and galacturonic content were evaluated utilizing Taguchi approach, an efficient and easy statistical tool. For the study, the extraction conditions applied were pH (2.4, 5 and 7), time (1, 2 and 3 h) and temperature (70, 80 and 90 °C). The condition which provides the higher degree of methyl esterification allied to higher galacturonic acid content was pH 2.4, time 1 h and temperature 90 °C. For this condition, the extraction yield obtained was 3.97% m/m polysaccharide/botanical material. The emulsifying capacity and emulsion stability were also evaluated, and the emulsions with lower concentrations of polysaccharide provided the best results about emulsifying action. In the best of our efforts in research, the characterization of polysaccharide from fruit pods of Inga edulis is reported for the first time and this research contributes to the knowledge about botanical potential of this vegetal species and reinforces its potential as industrial crop.

Keywords:
Inga edulis ; Taguchi design; polysaccharide; emulsion