Structure of pectic polysaccharides isolated from onion Allium cepa L. using a simulated gastric medium and their effect on intestinal absorption

► The polysaccharide fraction extracted with simulated gastric juice from onion bulbs contained galactan, pectins and protein. ► Galacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan were the main constituents of the linear regions of the pectic polysaccharides. ► The ramified region contained 1,4- and 1,3-linked β-d-galactopyranose residues and 1,5-linked α-l-arabinofuranose residues. ► The polysaccharide fraction was found to decrease absorption of ovalbumin to the blood from the gut lumen.