Antioxidant and digestion properties of polysaccharides from Rosa roxburghii Tratt fruit and polysacchride‐iron (III) complex

A new Rosa roxburghii Tratt fruit polysaccharide (RTFP)-iron (III) complex was synthesized and characterized by various physicochemical, thermal, and structural analyses. The results showed that RTFP-iron complex was formed by the Fe–O bonding between hydroxyl and carboxyl groups in RTFP and iron. The Fe content of RTFP-iron (III) complex was 16.17%, and its surface morphology displayed relatively scattered and lumpy. In addition, the scavenging activities of RTFP and RTFP-iron (III) on DPPH, hydroxyl radicals and ABTS were examined. The results demonstrated that the antioxidant activity of RTFP-iron complex was weaker than that of RTFP. The release of iron from RTFP-iron (III) complex was observed during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Furthermore, polyphenol and/or trypsin could enhance the stability and solubility of RTFP-iron (III) complex compared to FeCl3. Altogether, our findings revealed RTFP-iron (III) could serve as a new promising iron supplement. Practical applications As a new type of iron supplement, the polysaccharide-iron complex is an efficient water-soluble iron supplement with less adverse reaction and higher bioavailability. In our work, polysaccharides from Rosa roxburghii Tratt fruit and polysaccharide-iron (III) complex were prepared. The results demonstrated the iron in RTFP-iron (III) complex could have better stability and solubility. Apart from this, the bioavailability of RTFP-iron (III) complex was higher than that of FeCl3 and the complex had good antioxidant activity. The RTFP-iron (III) complex might be used as iron supplementary to relieve the side effects and oxidative stress. These results might support the future applications of RTFP-iron(III) in the pharmaceutical industry.