Extraction technologies and structural elucidation of polysaccharides from herbs and spices: Connecting molecular characteristics to biofunctional properties

Abstract

For a long time, herbs and spices have been known for their medicinal and culinary uses. Beyond their conventional uses, herbs and spices can serve as important sources of polysaccharides, a class of compounds known for their diverse biological activities, hence their potential health benefits. Interest in polysaccharides derived from herbs and spices has increased substantially in recent years; however, there remains a lack of reviews summarizing the findings from all of these studies. Hence, this review aims to evaluate recent major studies on polysaccharides from herbs and spices focusing on the extraction and analytical method used, the physicochemical properties, bioactivities, and their potential application in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. The extraction methods, along with the different parts of herbs and spices used, significantly impact the structure, and characteristics of the polysaccharides extracted from herbs and spices. These factors ultimately influence the polysaccharides’ biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and immunomodulatory effects.