Pectins of peat mosses and peat

Acid polysaccharides with a molecular weight of 37,000 and a yield of 4.5-6.0% for mosses and 17-21% for peat were separated from the holocellulose of of species of peat mosses and peat magellanicum (R = 5, 15, and 25%). Fractionation and purification of the polysaccharides with subsequent hydrolysis of the separated fractions, analysis of the monosaccharide composition, and identification of the uronic acids revealed their high homogeneity and ' belonging to the class of polygalacturonglycanes or pectins. According to the results of periodate oxidation and decomposition of the polysaccharides after Smith, the pectins of peat mosses and peat have a branched structure and contain a large amount of xylose residues joined by a 1 − 3 glycoside bond