%0 Journal Article
%T Chemical Composition, Functional Properties, and Effect of Inulin from Tunisian Agave americana L. Leaves on Textural Qualities of Pectin Gel
%A Mohamed Ali Bouaziz
%A Rabaa Rassaoui
%A Souhail Besbes
%J Journal of Chemistry
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/758697
%X In this study, the chemical composition and functional properties of Agave americana L. (AA) leaves were determined. The Agave leaves powder had a high amount of total dietary fiber (38.40%), total sugars (45.83%), and protein (35.33%), with a relatively low content in ash (5.94%) and lipid (2.03%). The Agave leaves were exhibited with potential food application. The Agave inulin showed a significant difference compared with the commercial inulin as for aw (0.275 against 0.282), pH (5.53 against 5.98), ash (2.89% against 1.19%), protein (3.46% against 1.58%), water holding capacity (2.42% against 1.59%), solubility (73£¿g/L against 113£¿g/L), and emulsion capacity (14.48% against 21.42%), respectively. The textural properties of Agave inulin-pectin mixed gels were examined using instrumental Texture Profile Analysis (TPA). Firmness of the prepared Agave inulin-pectin mixed gels was lower than the pectin gel (0.3554£¿N against 5.7238£¿N, resp.). This reduction of firmness showed a synergetic effect between pectin and inulin. These results suggested a positive interaction between Agave inulin and pectin to decrease the firmness of mixed gels and open a good alternative to obtain value added products from this resource. 1. Introduction Agave is usually thrived in semiarid regions such as Mexico, Australia, and Africa. Commonly grown species include Agave americana L., Agave attenuata, and Agave tequilana. Different from other Agave species, AA L. has a large asparagus-like flower stalk, but no pi£¿as. Because of no pi£¿as (a reservoir of fructans), the AA is commercially less valuable for the production of alcoholic beverages, compared to other Agave species such as Agave tequilana and Agave attenuate, although its leaves can be used for pulque (a beer-like drink) production. Agave is the biggest genus that identifies a group of desert plants belonging to the monocotyledonous family called Agaveceae [1]. This genus is characterized by spiny leaves yielding various types of fibers and composed of wild plants that do not need tender care and are traditionally used as source of fibers. The North American AA plant is a species belonging to such a genus, which is also flourishing in South of Africa as well as the Mediterranean area [2]. Various species of Agave are used in the traditional medicine either as medicinal plants or as good anti-inflammatory agents [3, 4]. Uribe and Saldivar [5] confirmed the anticancerogenic and antioxidant properties of the Agave syrup. This plant has been shown to have both antibacterial and antifungal properties [6]. Moreover, the leaf
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jchem/2014/758697/