Formation, structural characterization and hypoglycemic activity in vitro of yeast polysaccharide hydrogels

Yeast polysaccharide has antioxidant, anti-tumor, antiviral, immune-enhancing, and adsorption properties; however, their utilization rate remains limited due to poor solubility. This study employed crude yeast polysaccharide (C-YP) as a raw material and utilized a 14 wt% NaOH aqueous solution as an environmentally friendly solvent to develop innovative yeast polysaccharide hydrogels (H-YPs). The prepared H-YPs exhibited a porous network structure with high water content. An elevation in yeast polysaccharide concentration corresponded with increased hardness and gel strength, reaching values of 665.0 gf and 155.0 g*cm, respectively. Furthermore, the H-YPs demonstrated non-cytotoxic characteristics, sustaining cell viability above 80 %. In vitro hypoglycemic assays indicated that H-YPs exhibited substantial inhibitory activity against the enzymes α-glucosidase and α-amylase, indicating their potential applicability in the development of healthy food gels.