Degradation Polysaccharides from Benincasa hispida var. chieh-qua How: Unveiling Bioactive Properties of Degraded Compounds

This study reported an effective method for the degradation of Chieh-qua (Benincasa hispida var. Chieh-qua How) polysaccharides (BHCP) by a hydrogen peroxide-ascorbic acid oxidation (H₂O₂-V_C) system. The degradation conditions were optimized using a Box-Behnken response surface design as concentration of H₂O₂-V_C 19.5 mM, degradation temperature 46.4 °C and degradation time 1.0 h. The average molecular weight was decreased and total sugar content was raised of the degraded polysaccharide (DBHCP). Two refined degraded polysaccharides (DBHCP-1, DBHCP-2) were purified and prepared, and their structures were analyzed by chemical and spectral analysis. The in vitro experiments showed that degraded polysaccharides (DBHCP and DBHCP-1) have better antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activity than natural polysaccharide BHCP. These findings support the potential application of Chieh-qua polysaccharides in the food and medical industries.