Abstract:
Distributions of molecular weight (Mw) of soluble polysaccharides in the flabella and roots on fruiting bodies of
Sparassis latifolia were compared. The fruiting bodies were freeze-dried after harvest prior to a hot-water extraction to collect polysaccharides for a high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) analysis and a β-glucanase digestion test. The HPSECresults showed that the average Mws and Mw distributions of polysaccharides significantly differed in the flabella and the roots. The polysaccharide Mw in the flabella was 3.88×10
5 Da on average with a main component at 4.30×10
5 Da; whereas, that in the roots was 1.43×10
6 Da with a majority of 2.85×10
4 Da and a few largerthan 2×10
6 Damolecules. The enzymatic digestion test indicated that β-glucanase could not degrade polysaccharides in the fruiting bodieswith a molecular weight greater than 2×10
6 Da.