title: Rheological properties of polysaccharides from Dioscorea opposita Thunb.
abstract: This study investigated the chemical components and rheological properties of polysaccharides from Dioscorea opposita Thunb. Graded alcohol precipitation was used to extract Dioscorea opposita polysaccharide samples (S1, S2, S3 and S4). The monosaccharides, amino acid content and molecular weight of each sample were measured and compared. The rheological properties of the polysaccharide samples at different concentrations, temperatures and pH values were studied. The rheological properties of S1, S2 and S3 exhibited pseudoplastic properties and "gel-like" behaviour. The viscosity of S1 was improved with rising temperatures, especially temperatures higher than 80°C, which may be caused by the starch gelatinisation. The acidic and basic environments may break the structures of S3 and S4. However, the extreme conditions improved the viscosity of S1. This work was a basic investigation of the Dioscorea opposita polysaccharides, contributing to the function of yam products and applications of natural thickeners in the food industry.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine and Immune-Engineering of Henan Province, Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
authors.forename: Fanyi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine and Immune-Engineering of Henan Province, Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine and Immune-Engineering of Henan Province, Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
authors.forename: Nanhua
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine and Immune-Engineering of Henan Province, Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine and Immune-Engineering of Henan Province, Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
authors.forename: Gaixiu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine and Immune-Engineering of Henan Province, Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
authors.forename: Balan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine and Immune-Engineering of Henan Province, Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China. Electronic address: liuxiuhua@henu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiuhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutritional Science, University of Reading, Whitenights, Reading RG6 6AP, UK.
authors.forename: Alan E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D027742:Dioscorea / Q000737:chemistry*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012212:Rheology; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D011134:Polysaccharides
keywords: Chinese yam; Dioscorea opposita Thunb.; Polysaccharides; Rheological properties