Identification and determination of the inulin content in the roots of the Northeast Brazilian species Pombalia calceolaria L.

A polysaccharide was extracted from the roots of Pombalia calceolaria, a plant used in folk medicine in Northeastern Brazil, by decoction followed by precipitation with methanol, yielding a concentration of 13.0% w/w, and purification with acetone. The molar mass peak was estimated to be 4.0×10(3)Da using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Polarized light photomicrography of histological sections revealed the presence of inulin in the cortical parenchyma. The chemical composition of inulin was identified by 1D and 2D NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy and the findings were compared with the literature. This is the first time inulin has been identified on FT-IR and NMR for the species Pombalia calceolaria.