Differences Between Bamboo Shoots and Vegetables in Thermal Disintegration of Tissues and Polysaccharides Fractionated by Successive Extraction

Bamboo shoots were more difficult to disintegrate during cooking than other vegetables (potato, Japanese radish, carrot, burdock, and East Indian lotus). The pectic substances of bamboo shoots were fractionated with three reagents. The uronic acid composition of HCl-soluble pectin (PA), acetate buffer-soluble pectin (PB) and sodium hexame-taphosphate-soluble pectin (PC) were about 8-10%, 2-4%, and 88%, respectively. Conversely, the other vegetables contained only a small amount of PC and completely disintegrated after the extraction of PA and PB; bamboo shoots retained considerable firmness under the same conditions. Acidic polysaccharides in bamboo shoots separated by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography contained large amounts of neutral sugars. This suggested that the glucose and xylose rich PC (low methoxyl pectin) affected the solubilization of pectic polysaccharides and thermal disintegration of bamboo shoots.