The impact of ultrasonic‐assisted extraction on the in vitro hypoglycemic activity of peach gum polysaccharide in relation to its conformational conversion

Abstract Background Peach gum (PG) is an exudate of the peach tree ( Prunus persica of the Rosaceae family), which consists primarily of polysaccharides with a large molecular weight and branching structure. Consequently, PG can only swell in water and does not dissolve easily, which severely limits its application. Current conventional extraction methods for PG polysaccharide (PGPS) are time consuming and inefficient. This study investigated the impact of ultrasonic‐assisted extraction (UAE) on PGPS structure and conformation, and their relationship to hypoglycemic activity in vitro . Results In comparison with conventional aqueous extraction, UAE enhanced PGPS yielded from 28.07–32.83% to 80.37–84.90% (w/w) in 2 h. It drastically decreased the molecular size and conformational parameters of PGPS, including weight‐average molecular weight ( M w ), number‐average molecular weight ( M n ), z‐average radius of gyration ( R g ), hydrodynamic radius ( R h ) and instrinsic viscosity ([ η ]) values. Peach gum polysaccharide conformation converted extended molecules to flexible random coil chains or compact spheres with no obvious primary structure alteration. Furthermore, UAE altered the flow behavior of PGPS solution from that of a non‐Newtonian fluid to that of a Newtonian fluid. As a result, PGPS treated with UAE displayed weaker inhibitory activity than untreated PGPS, mostly because UAE weakens the binding strength of PGPS to α ‐glucosidase. However, this negative effect of UAE on PGPS activity was compensated by the increased solubility of polysaccharide. This enabled PGPS to achieve a wider range of doses. Conclusion Ultrasonic‐assisted extraction is capable of degrading PGPS efficiently while preserving its primary structure, resulting in a Newtonian fluid solution. The degraded PGPS conformations displayed a consistent correlation with their inhibitory effect on α ‐glucosidase activity. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.