Fucoidan Degradation and Preparation of Fuco-oligosaccharides from Saccharina japonica†

The sulfated fuco-oligosaccharides were prepared via acid hydrolysis degradation of crude fucoidan extracted from Saccharina japonica. Through the optimization of degradation and precipitation conditions, the hydrolysis and sedimentation law of fucoidan were studied. Physicochemical analysis showed that the supernatant was heterozygous sulfated fuco-oligosaccharide(fucose>55%). Four fractions of fucose based low polyme-rization degree of oligosaccharides were purified by Bio-Gel P4 low-pressure permeation chromatography, and the fucose content of the fractions was up to 90% according to monosaccharide composition analysis and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(ESI-MS) analysis. Thus, the fractions were series of low-polymerized sulfated fuco-oligosaccharide/fucose, and the major fractions could be expressed with the formula of Fuc(1 similar to 3)S(1 similar to 3), Fuc(1 similar to 2)S(1 similar to 2), Fuc(1 similar to 2)S, and FucGlcAS.