Enzymatic Remodelling of Rhamnogalacturonan-I from Potato Pulp: From Agro-Industrial Waste to a Defined Polysaccharide for Structure-Function Analysis
A Rajalechumi Kamatchi (Denmark)1; Bodil Jørgensen (Denmark)1;
1 - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark;
Keywords: Pectin; Rhamnogalacturonan-I; Enzymes;
Abstract Topics: Theme 1: Pectins: Structure, Remodeling, and Function
Type of Presentation: Poster

Abstract text: Rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) is a major pectic polysaccharide domain characterised by a repeating disaccharide backbone of →4)-α-D-GalA-(1→2)-α-L-Rha-(1→, substituted with arabinan and galactan side chains. RG-I has attracted increasing interest due to its potential bioactivities, including immunomodulatory behaviour. However, its structural complexity and heterogeneous branching remain major challenges in elucidating structure–function relationships. In this study, a sequential enzymatic strategy was designed to isolate and structurally remodel RG-I from potato pulp. Termamyl was first applied to remove residual starch, followed by endopolygalacturonase to selectively degrade homogalacturonan regions and obtain crude RG-I. Exopolygalacturonase treatment further eliminated remaining homogalacturonan fragments. Targeted debranching of arabinan side chains was subsequently performed using α-L-arabinofuranosidase and endo-arabinanase to yield purified and structurally modified RG-I fractions. The purified RG-I will be characterised using multiple analytical approaches to investigate its structural and functional attributes, including its modified RG-I composition. This integrated enzymatic approach provides a controlled platform for RG-I isolation and structural remodelling, offering new insights into its biological and techno-functional properties and advancing understanding of pectin structure–function relationships.