403
Volume 5, Issue 10: Special Issue
(EJAR)
ISSN: 2181-2020
MPHAPP
THE 6TH INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL
CONFERENCE
“
MODERN PHARMACEUTICS: ACTUAL
PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS
”
TASHKENT, OCTOBER 17, 2025
in-academy.uz
THE ROLE OF SAFFRON EXTRACT IN THE REGULATION OF THIOL STATUS
INULIN OBTAINED FROM SEVERAL PLANTS ENDEMIC TO KAZAKHSTAN
Turasheva S.K.
Yernazarova G.I.
Abzhami Z.N.
Alnurova A.A.
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Department of Biotechnology, Almaty, Kazakhstan, e-
mail: Svetlana.turasheva@kaznu.edu.kz 8(727)377-33-33 (1205)
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17340369
Inulin is a polysaccharide extracted from the vegetative mass and roots of plants (chicory,
elecampane, dandelion, etc.) and used as a dietary supplement, improving the nutritional properties
of foods, as a sweetener for patients with 2nd type diabetes, and as a valuable prebiotic for the human
microbiome. The polysaccharide is found in high concentrations in plant tubers and roots, where it
serves as a storage function. Research by several scientists has shown that inulin is also synthesized
in large quantities in the rhizomes of certain rubber-bearing plants. One such rubber-bearing plant is
Scorzonera tau-saghyz
, an endemic plant of Kazakhstan.
Scorzonera tau-saghyz
is a wild perennial
subshrub, listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan as a rare and endemic species of
Asteraceae
family.
Scorzonera tau-saghyz
, due to its ability to synthesize rubber in its rhizomes and
accumulate inulin as a secondary valuable component, is an environmentally friendly and
economically promising plant species. The aim of our research was to study the dynamics of latex
and inulin accumulation at different stages of tau-saghyz ontogenesis, which is important for
optimizing harvesting timing and maximizing productivity. Inulin is formed in the leaves during
photosynthesis and accumulates in the stems and roots of plants. Inulin crystals are grouped in the
vacuoles of root parenchyma cells located near the phloem. During the extraction of secondary
metabolites, inulin is extracted first, followed by latex. Our results show that the amount of inulin
accumulated in the roots is several times lower than the amount of latex, calculated on a dry weight
basis, and varies among 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old plants. Moreover, as with the quantitative analysis of
latex, the concentration of inulin increases with the growing season, reaching maximum values at the
final stage of ontogenesis (flowering and fruiting) – 33.17% latex and 4.5% inulin in the dry biomass
of 3-year-old plants roots. The relative similarity of latex and inulin concentrations in the large roots
of 1-year-old (31.52% and 2.1%, respectively) and 2-year-old (31.34% and 2.5%) plants indicates
common pathways for the biosynthesis and degradation of these compounds. This also indicates
competition for the same photoassimilation resources – fructose and glucose, which are subsequently
used to synthesize polyisoprene monomers – the structural units of rubber. A proportional increase in
the maximum concentrations of latex and inulin by 1.5 and 1.8 times, respectively, in comparative
parameters for 2- and 3-year-old plants (47.58% and 72.70%, 1:1.5 for latex; 2.5% and 4.5%, 1:1.8
for inulin) suggests that inulin decomposes into carbohydrates, which are involved not only in the
synthesis of polyisoprene but also in growth processes, in particular, in the rate of taproot growth.
Excess fructose and sucrose formed during inulin degradation can be used to synthesize isopentenyl
pyrophosphate, which promotes the formation of triterpenes and polyisoprene. The low inulin content
but high latex content in the dry root biomass suggests that at this stage of development, inulin
degradation processes predominate in root cells. Therefore, it is important to study earlier stages of
the growing period, when latex and inulin quantity reach high levels, for subsequent extraction.
404
Volume 5, Issue 10: Special Issue
(EJAR)
ISSN: 2181-2020
MPHAPP
THE 6TH INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL
CONFERENCE
“
MODERN PHARMACEUTICS: ACTUAL
PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS
”
TASHKENT, OCTOBER 17, 2025
in-academy.uz
Identifying this phase of vegetation requires detailed biochemical analysis, necessitating the
continuation of these experiments with new goals and objectives.
