Synthesis and hydroxyl radicals scavenging activity of N-(aminoethyl)inulin

Inulin, a kind of abundant polymeric material, is mainly extracted from such low-requirement crops as Jerusalem artichoke, chicory, and yacon. The objective of this study was to develop a reactive precursor for chemical manipulation of inulin to encourage the employment of this currently underutilized biodegradable and environmentally benign polysaccharide. N-(Aminoethyl)inulin was prepared with a 1.0 degree of substitution at C-6. Additionally, its potential hydroxyl radicals scavenging activity was evaluated with chitosan and vitamin C as positive comparison. Better than inulin, chitosan and vitamin C, N-(aminoethyl)inulin possesses scavenging activity of 62% at 2.4 mg/mL. The synthesized N-(aminoethyl)inulin was characterized by FT-IR spectra, 13C NMR.