Structure of the Polysaccharide Occurring in the Seeds of Cassia Mimosa : Hydrolytic Studies

The seeds of Cassia Mimosa have been reported to be highly rich in mucilaginous matter. The preliminary screening of the seeds of the plants belonging to above mentioned genus has been conducted to locate a good source of polysaccharides. Cassia Mimosa ( Linn ), is commonly known as a “Horse Cassia” belongs to the family Leguminasceae ( Sub-family : Cesalpinaceae ). It is an ornamental and deciduous tree, reaching about 35 to 40 feet in height. Its seeds are almond-shaped and creamy in colour, their length ranging from 1.25 to 1.75 cms. During this investigation the seed of Cassia Mimosa plant has been found to contain a polysaccharide in high yield. The several kinds of application of polysaccharides made great attention towards the study of molecular structure of polysaccharides, for the production of several derivatives, which are applicable in various forms in industries. The investigation of the structure of polysaccharides gives good idea about their biogenesis by which simple sugar transformed into their hexose, pentoses, uronic acid and methyl pentoses. A systematic chemical investigation of the polysaccharides from its seeds has now been undertaken which constitutes the subject matter of the present paper.