Abstract:

The present study focused on the extraction of aloe polysaccharides by enzymatic hydrolysis using pectinase and
cellulase together, and the antioxidant activity of aloe polysaccharides was also evaluated. The extraction conditions were
optimized using response surface methodology on the basis of single factor experiments, and the antioxidant activity was
assessed by measuring total antioxidant capacity, DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity. Results showed that the
optimum extraction process was found to be extraction at 48 ℃ with a total enzyme dosage of 0.3% under the pre-established
conditions: solid-to-liquid ratio, 1:30 (g/mL); ratio of pectinase to cellulase, 1:3; and hydrolysis pH, 4.5. The yield of aloe
polysaccharides under the optimized conditions was 5.65%, an increase of 4.2% over that obtained with ultrasonic-assisted
extraction. The aloe polysaccharides obtained possessed potent antioxidant activity, showing a positive concentrationeffect
relationship for total antioxidant capacity, and DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity. The concentration
25 mg/mL scavenged 75% of DPPH free radical and 90% of hydroxyl free radical. To conclude, multienzymatic hydrolysis
can provide a new effective method for the extraction of aloe polysaccharides with good antioxidant activity.

Key words: multienzymatic hydrolysis, aloe polysaccharide, response surface methodology, antioxidant activity