Extraction optimization of polysaccharide from Zanthoxylum bungeanum using RSM and its antioxidant activity

Polysaccharide prepared from pericarp of Zanthoxylum bungeanum was proved to possess excellent antioxidant activities in vitro by using reducing ferric iron power, DPPH radical scavenging activity, chelating ferrous iron capacity, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity assays in the present study. In those four antioxidant assay models, Z. bungeanum polysaccharide (ZBP) displayed prominent antioxidant activities with low EC50 values of 0.011, 0.021, 0.056 and 0.008 mg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the extraction process of ZBP was further optimized by response surface methodology combined with Box-Behnken design. The highest polysaccharide yield 13.96%, which agreed closely with the predicted yield 13.20%, was obtained under the optimal extraction conditions as follows: extraction temperature 89 °C, extraction time 3 h, ratio of water volume (mL) to raw material weight (g) 29 (v/w), and extraction number two times. The present research not only provide theoretical basis for exploitation of natural polysaccharide antioxidants, but also establish the foundation of large-scale production and further system utilization of ZBP.