Determination of oligosaccharide contents in 19 cultivars of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) seeds by high performance liquid chromatography

The extraction procedure of oligosaccharides from chickpea seeds was optimized and sufficient extraction was achieved with 50% of ethanol-water in a ratio of 10:1 for solvent to defatted chickpea meal at 50 degrees C for 30 min. Under the optimal extraction conditions, the contents of oligosaccharides in 19 cultivars of chickpea seeds were determined by HPLC. The results showed that the main alpha-galactooligosaccharides (alpha-GCIS) in chickpea seeds were raffinose, stachyose, verbascose and an unknown glycoside, which was isolated, purified, and identified as ciceritol. Ciceritol, the main sugar in all the chickpea samples, accounted for about 50% of the total alpha-GOS. There were considerable variations in the levels of alpha-GOS and sucrose between species, especially verbascose which could only be detected in 7 samples. With the highest amount of alpha-GOS and a low amount of sucrose, the 171 was the best choice for obtaining alpha-GOS for use as a prebiotic in functional foods. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.