The mucilage content was determined in the calyces of five
strains of Hs var. sabdariffa, reaching 24–28% in strains from
Central America and Egypt but only 15% in an Indian strain. This
amount was only reached at a later stage of development in the
strains from Senegal and Thailand. The pectin content only
accounted for 2–4% while the sugars reached a maximum of
3–5% in these five strains. Mucilage and pectin consisted of
60–80% anhydrouronic acid