Detection of Acidic and Neutral Polysaccharides in Chinese Herb Concentrates

Neutral and acidic polysaccharides were separated and prepared from Chinese herbal concentrates using the CTAB precipitation method and were then analyzed quantitatively. The results show that the monosaccharide composition of the polysaccharides in the Chinese herb concentrates are mannose,ribose,rhamnose,glucuronic acid,galactose,xylose,arabinose with molar percentages of 19. 6,1. 0,0. 9,2. 4,60. 1,7. 3,6. 1and 2. 5 respectively. Determined by using the phenol-sulfuric acid method the neutral polysaccharides varied from 54. 3% to 67. 8% of the total polysaccharides,and the acid polysaccharides did from 5. 9% ~ 11. 8%. This detection method can be used as a reference for rapid classification of polysaccharides.