Processing Shapes Architecture, Cultivar Dictates Chemistry: A Structural and Functional Paradigm for Yam Polysaccharides

TL;DR

This study explores how different processing methods and yam cultivars affect the structure and functionality of yam polysaccharides, offering a framework for their tailored production.

Contribution

The paper introduces a processing–structure–property framework for yam polysaccharides based on cultivar and processing effects.

Findings

Enzymatic extraction increased yield and solubility, while hot water extraction favored purity.

Extrusion puffing improved solubility but caused depolymerization and aggregation.

Cultivar determined chemical composition, while processing methods influenced macromolecular architecture.

Abstract

Yam polysaccharides are promising functional food ingredients, but the systematic understanding of how cultivar and processing synergistically determine their structure and functionality is still lacking. This study systematically investigated how hot water extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, and extrusion puffing affect the structural and functional properties of polysaccharides from two major cultivars (Dioscorea opposite cv. Tiegun and Dioscorea esculenta cv. Gaozhou). Enzymatic extraction increased yield (1.39–1.77-fold) and solubility, while hot water extraction favored purity. The monosaccharide composition was strongly cultivar-dependent, with Tiegun polysaccharides containing higher mannose levels. Extrusion puffing of Gaozhou polysaccharide improved solubility by 33.3% but induced depolymerization and aggregation, modifying colloidal and functional behaviors. Multivariate analysis revealed that processing methods primarily governed macromolecular architecture and colloidal properties, whereas cultivar determined chemical composition. These findings establish a processing–structure–property framework, enabling the tailored production of yam polysaccharides: Tiegun yam with enzymatic extraction for high bioactivity, and Gaozhou yam with extrusion puffing for superior solubility.

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