| Summary: | A water-soluble oligosaccharide termed EMOS-1a was prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis of polysaccharides purified from mulberries by column chromatography. The chemical structure of the purified fraction was investigated by ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and gas chromatography−mass spectrometry, which indicated that galactose was the main constituent of EMOS-1a. Chemical analyses showed that the uronic acid and sulfate content of EMOS-1a were 5.6% and 8.35%, respectively, while gel permeation chromatography showed that EMOS-1a had an average molecular weight of 987 Da. The antioxidant activities of EMOS-1a were next investigated, and EMOS-1a exhibited concentration-dependent 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power. The level of proliferation of <i>Lactobacillus rhamnosus</i> reached 1420 ± 16% when 4% (<i>w/v</i>) EMOS-1a was added, where the number of colonies in MRS (de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe) medium with no added oligosaccharide was defined as 100% proliferation. These results indicate that the oligosaccharide EMOS-1a could be used as a natural antioxidant in prebiotic preparations.
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