Neutral sugars, uronic acids and electric conductivity of cottonseeds (Gossypium hirsutum L.) exudate in function of the chemical delinting

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of delinting time of cottonseeds through the electrical conductivity and the quantity of neu tral sugars and uronic acids leaked from the seeds during imbibition in wat er, in function of the fractioning in water and-the artificial ageing. The seeds were delinted with commercial sulphuric acid for 1.5 and 4.5 minutes, separeted according to the sedimentation fractions in water and submitted to artificial ageing for 0, 72 and 96 hours. Electrical conductivity, conte nts of neutral sugars and uronic acids were determinated from the exudate r esulting from the seeds imbibition in relation different treatments. The re sults showed that the delinting time for 1.5 minutes provided higher values of electrical conductivity, higher contents of neutral sugars and lower co ntents of uronic acids in relation with delinted seeds.