Optimizing starch-free arabinogalactan-rich taro nanomucilage: Green experimental design, structural elucidation,...

This study primarily emphasized on extracting the Colocasia esculenta rhizome mucilage (CEM) using different green extraction methods including cold-water extraction (CWE), hot water extraction (HWE), and microwave-assisted water extraction (MWE). The yield of CEM was calculated on a wet basis and MWE exhibited a higher yield (18.47 ± 0.19 %) compared to HWE (14.08 ± 0.31 %) and CWE (4.22 ± 0.25 %). Based on the absence of starch in extracted mucilage the CWE method was used to optimize spray-drying conditions. CEM showed Newtonian behavior and contained arabinose, galactose, glucose, and different amino acids. FTIR data confirmed the presence of various functional groups and exhibited excellent techno-functional characteristics. CEM revealed expectational thermal stability and the average particle size was under the nano scale (218.9 ± 5.19 nm). It was determined that CEM showed potential anti-microbial activity and anti-inflammatory efficiency. Overall, CEM is rich in arabinogalactan and possesses diverse biological activities with inherent functional properties.