AVAILABLE CARBOHYDRATES IN ALFALFA LEAF PROTEIN-CONCENTRATES

Freezing curd, prepared from alfalfa juice; was extracted with 2-propanol either untreated or after washing with water. The available carbohydrates were analyzed in the two extracted concentrates and unextracted freezing concentrate to deduce the effect of extraction on its content. Two methods were employed to analyze the ethanolsoluble sugars: the anthrone-sulfuric acid method and the 3,5-dinitrosalicylate method. The sugars were identified by gas chromatography. Hexoses and pentoses were the main soluble sugars. Direct extraction of the freezing curd with 2-propanol lowered the sugar content by 25%; water washing and 2-propanol extraction lowered the sugar content by 60%. The starch determination was carried out using two methods. 2-Propanol extraction of the freezing curd lowered the starch content by 24%; water washing and 2-propanol extraction lowered the starch content by 30%. These results indicate that 2-propanol extraction may have led to the formation of resistant starch in the concentrates.