title: Toward the recognition of structure-function relationships in galactomannans.
abstract: In this paper the determination of the physical/rheological characteristics is described for a series of commercial galactomannans of which the structural details have been reported previously. Both solubility of the galactomannans and rheological properties of galactomannan solutions and galactomannan/xanthan mixtures were determined. Using a statistical analysis approach an attempt was undertaken to recognize correlations between structural and rheological data. The best correlation found was between the abundance of galactose substituents at a regular distance (type of galactomannan) and the storage modulus (G') of mixed galactomannan/xanthan gels, underscoring the hypothesis that branching hinders the formation of a network with xanthan gum. Also, the G' for the group of locust bean gums correlated with the degree of blockiness, that is, the size and occurrence of nonsubstituted regions on the mannose backbone. In addition, galactomannans displayed an apparent decrease in gelling ability with increasing average molecular weight. That G' also relates to the type of galactomannan can therefore partly be attributed to differences in average molecular weight for the various galactomannan types. However, within the series of locust bean gums tested, also an increase of G' with molecular weight was observed. This can be explained by the decreasing number of loose ends of the polymers and the concomitant increasing efficiency in network participation with increasing molecular weight.
authors.affiliation: Laboratories of Food Chemistry and Food Physics, Department of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences, Wageningen University, Bomenweg 2, 6703 HD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Piet J H
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Daas
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grolle
authors.forename: Ton
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Van Vliet
authors.forename: Henk A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Schols
authors.forename: Harmen H J
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: De Jongh
mesh_terms: D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D005690:Galactose / Q000737:chemistry / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008351:Mannans / Q000737:chemistry*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D012212:Rheology; D012995:Solubility; D012996:Solutions; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D008351:Mannans; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D012996:Solutions; C012990:galactomannan; C002563:xanthan gum; D005690:Galactose