Characterization of ulvan extracts to assess the effect of different steps in the extraction procedure

An effective application development of the polysaccharide ulvan requires a comprehensive knowledge about the influence of the extraction process on composition of the extracts and in ulvan itself. In this context, the two main objectives of the present work are (1) the establishment of an efficient extraction process for ulvan and (2) development of an accurate characterization methodology to evaluate the extract composition and ulvan content. Three ulvan-rich extracts obtained by different schemes of extraction were studied. The methodology for the analysis was improved and a detailed analysis of extracted ulvan was provided. The polysaccharide is rich in ulvanobiuronic acid 3-sulfate type A [→4)-β-d-GlcAp-(1 → 4)-α-l-Rhap 3S-(1→], with minor amounts of ulvanobiuronic acid 3-sulfate type B [→4)-α-l-IdoAp-(1 → 4)-α-l-Rhap 3S-(1→]. The extract with the higher degree of purification is a high molecular weight polysaccharide (790 kDa) composed of rhamnose (22.4%), glucuronic acid (22.5%), xylose (3.7%), iduronic acid (3.1%) and glucose (1.0%). It is highly sulfated (32.2%) and contains 1.3% of proteins and 10.3% of inorganic material. Applying simple extraction scheme it was possible to obtain an extract from green algae with high content of ulvan without affecting the overall chemical structure of the polysaccharide.