title: Effects of molecular characteristics of on konjac glucomannan glass transitions of potato amylose, amylopection and their mixtures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to explore further the functions of konjac glucomannan (KGM) in starch-based foods. Experiments were carried out using the mixed amylose/amylopectin/KGM system as a model. High-speed differential scanning calorimetry (hyper-DSC) with the support of high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) equipped with multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS) and differential refractive index (RI), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and viscosimetry was used to investigate the effects of KGM on glass transition temperatures (T(g) s) of mixtures with different amylose/amylopectin ratios.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hyper-DSC results showed that the T(g) s of amylose, amylopection and their mixtures decreased with increasing concentration of KGM. Based on the molecular characteristics of KGM, HPSEC-MALLS-RI, viscosimetry and XRD results showed that the molar masses of KGM ranged from 1.023 × 10(6) to 1.329 × 10(6) g mol(-1) ; the root mean square (RMS) radii were distributed from 110.5 to 129.6 nm, and M(w) /M(n) was 1.017. KGM was a linear molecule with random-coil conformation in solution and the crystallinity was 0.00%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is suggested that the addition of KGM has plasticizing effects on the structures of amylose and amylopectin, which can increase free volume and molecular movement of amylose and amylopectin chains, resulting in a decrease in their T(g) s.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tea Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Xianfeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D000687:Amylopectin / Q000737:chemistry*; D000688:Amylose / Q000737:chemistry*; D005898:Glass; D008351:Mannans / Q000737:chemistry*; D010968:Plasticizers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011198:Solanum tuberosum / Q000737:chemistry*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D044366:Transition Temperature
chemical_list: D008351:Mannans; D010968:Plasticizers; C022901:(1-6)-alpha-glucomannan; D000688:Amylose; D000687:Amylopectin