Alkali extraction and in vitro antioxidant activity of Monascus mycelium polysaccharides

In the present work, alkali extraction technology was used to optimize the extraction of Monascus mycelium polysaccharides for the first time. The extracting parameters of alkali extracted Monascus mycelium polysaccharides were optimized by Box-Behnken design (BBD). The optimum conditions were extraction temperature 49 °C, alkali concentration 7%, solvent/material ratio 23:1 (ml/g) and extraction time 2.3 h with an enhanced yield of 10.1%, compared with the yield 4.76% of hot water extraction, indicating that alkali extraction is a more efficient way. In order to discuss the biological activity of alkali extracted polysaccharides, we compared the in vitro antioxidant activity of alkali extracted polysaccharides (AMP) with hot water extracted polysaccharides (HMP). The result showed that AMP have the similar capability of scavenging both superoxide radical and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical of HMP in vitro. Therefore, alkali extraction technology is not only a high-efficiency way to extract AMP, but also can retain the natural antioxidant activities of AMP, which can be used in pharmaceutical and food industries.