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What is MPS? MPS stands for Methanol-Precipitable
Solids. When alcohols are added to Aloe solutions about 20-25% of the total solids come out of solution or are said to 'precipitate'. This is MPS. It consists mainly of Polysaccharides, Glycoprotein
and salts of Organic Acids. The Polysaccharides represent about one-half to two-thirds of the MPS or about 10-15% , and possibly more, of the total solids.Polysaccharides
consist of simple sugar molecules and are called hexoses. These sugar molecules are comprised of glucose and mannose which are linked together in short, long or very long unbranched chains. As there are more Mannose molecules than Glucose molecules we can call them Polymannoses.
When dealing with these large Polysaccharides in the laboratory, the solution looks like, and takes on, the physical characterisation of mucus. The term, Mucopolysaccharides, is then used to describe the
Polysaccharides presenting in this situation. |
