Progress in preparation of low-molecular weight fucoidan by enzymatic degradation
MA Dongyue；LIU Haidi；JI Chenfeng；XIN Guosong；LI Wenlan；GUO Shoudong；
Fucoidan is a class of sulphated polysaccharide mainly composed of L-fucose（6-deoxy-L-galactose），sulphate group，and several other monosaccharides such as mannose，galactose，glucose，glucuronic acid，galacturonic acid，and xylose. Fucoidan has various biological activities including anticoagulant，anti-oxidant，anti-tumor，anti-atherosclerotic and hypolipidemic functions. In the past several decades，most domestic and foreign studies have been focused on the fucoidan，with less research focusing on low-molecular weight fucoidan（LMWF）.In recent years，LMWF has received more attention due to its better solubility and biological activity compared to fucoidan with big molecular weight. In general，LMWF is obtained by degradation of fucoidan through several ways including physical method，chemical method，and enzymatic method. Among these methods， enzymatic degradation has the advantages of good selectivity，mild hydrolysis condition，few by-products，etc. This review focuses on the classification，origin，and preparation of fucoidan-degrading enzymes，and LMWF preparation and bioactivity， which will provide useful information for the development and potential applications of LMWF in the fields of food and pharmaceuticals.
