Malabar Spinach (Basella alba) seed mucilage as a natural source of edible gum: Extraction, physiochemical characterization and functional properties

Abstract

Spinach (Basella alba) is a popular green leafy vegetable its seeds contain non-exudate gum which may have gelling and stabilizing properties important in food industry applications. Presently, most of the commercially available food grade gums are imported, thus it is a necessity to look for locally available and inexpensive alternatives. Basella alba seed gum was scrutinized in the present study to get a better insight regarding this important polysaccharide. Mucilage of the sun-dried seeds were extracted with hot water. Extractable content of mucilage from seeds was 5.63% ± 0.63 in dry basis. Composition and functional properties (antioxidant capacity, water solubility, water holding capacity (WHC) and oil holding capacity (OHC) of the spinach seed gum (SSG) were analyzed and compared. FTIR spectroscopy analysis was conducted to identify organic functional groups present in extracted gum. The potential application of SSG as a stabilizer was evaluated by incorporating it into a yoghurt and the changes in pH and syneresis were observed. Results revealed that the SSG showed a radical scavenging ability that proves antioxidant capacity of isolated gum. Solubility of spinach seed mucilage was about 21.07±0.55% at room temperature and there was a positive relationship with the increment of temperature. Furthermore, isolated SSG showed 3.09 g water/g and 76.26 g oil/100 g WHC and OHC respectively. Incorporation of SSG into yoghurt have shown a significant effect at 0.5% levels. In conclusion, SSG has shown potentially applicable hydrocolloid for food industry.