Coffee bean arabinogalactans: acidic polymers covalently linked to protein Original Research Article

The arabinogalactan content of green coffee beans (Coffea arabica var. Yellow Caturra) was released by a combination of chemical extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis of the mannan–cellulose component of the wall. Several arabinogalactan fractions were isolated, purified by gel-permeation and ion-exchange chromatography and characterised by compositional and linkage analysis. The AG fractions contained between 6 and 8% glucuronic acid, and gave a positive test for the β-glucosyl-Yariv reagent, a stain specific for arabinogalactan-proteins. The protein component accounted for between 0.5 and 2.0% of the AGPs and contained between 7 and 12% hydroxyproline. The AG moieties displayed considerable heterogeneity with regard to their degree of arabinosylation and the extent and composition of their side-chains. They possessed a MW average of 650 kDa which ranged between 150 and 2000 kDa. An investigation of the structural features of the major AG fraction, released following enzymatic hydrolysis of the mannan–cellulose polymers, allowed a partial structure of coffee arabinogalactan to be proposed.