Extração e quantificação de frutanos em agave sisalana perrine.

Abstract

Fructans are carbohydrates reservation produced from sucrose of large natural occurrence, being present in several organisms such as plants, algae, fungi and bacteria. Fructans of inulin type is characterised by presenting similarities with the dietary fiber, being potential substitues of sucrose in foods like milk products, confectionery and bakery products. They present significant economic, industrial and pharmaceutical value as well as importance in Plant Systematics, being present in significant amounts in Agave sisalana, species of remarkable economic importance in Brazil, whose total exploitation reaches only 4% of the leaves, a percentage that is assigned exclusively to the fibers. The objective of this study is to extract and quantify fructans from leaf and stem of Agave sisalana Perrine in order to contribute to the knowledge of its economic potential. The samples were collected in a field of sisal fibers within the municipality of Cuité-PB, situated in the Western Brazilian far 235.1 kilometers from the state capital João Pessoa. The methodology used for the extraction of carbohydrates was the two extractions in 80% ethanol for 15 minutes and two in water at 60ºC for 30 minutes separating the fractions of fruit-oligo- and fruit-polysaccharides. The results obtained demonstrated that the Agave sisalana presents on the stem 8.3% of fresh weight of fruit-oligosaccharides and the young leaves showed 0.4% of fresh weight of fruit-polysaccharides indicating the species as a significant source of fructans of economic interest.