CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL-PROPERTIES OF YELLOW MUSTARD (SINAPIS-ALBA L) MUCILAGE

The yield of crude mucilage (CM) obtained from yellow mustard (Sinapis alba, L.) was 5% of the total seed weight. CM was separated into a water-soluble fraction (WS, 55.6%) and a water-insoluble fraction (WI, 38.8%). Proximate analysis of CM and its fractions revealed carbohydrates as the major component (80-94%) with ash (1.7-15.0%) and protein (2.2-4.4%) as minor constituents. Glucose (22-35%) was the major monosaccharide present followed by galactose (11-15%), mannose (6.0-6.4%), rhamnose (1.6-4.0%), arabinose (2.8-3.2%) and xylose (1.8-2.0%). All mucilage fractions exhibited interfacial activity and shear thinning behaviour typical of xanthan gum dispersions. Of the mucilage fractions studied, the WS fraction was least affected by pH, temperature and solutes (NaCl, sucrose).