title: Microstructure and mechanical properties of arabinoxylan and (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan gels produced by cryo-gelation.
abstract: The interactions between heteroxylans and mixed linkage glucans determine the architecture and mechanical properties of cereal endosperm cell walls. In this work hydrogels made of cross-linked arabinoxylan with addition of β-glucan were synthesised by cryogelation as a biomimetic tool to investigate endosperm walls. Molecular and microstructural properties were characterised by nuclear magnetic resonance ((13)C NMR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and immunolabelling/confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The response to mechanical stress was studied by compression-relaxation experiments. The hydrogels consisted of a scaffold characterised by dense walls interconnected by macropores with both hemicelluloses co-localised and homogeneously distributed. The gels showed a high degree of elasticity reflected in their ability to resist compression without developing cracks and recover 60-80% of their original height. Our results highlight the compatibility of these hemicelluloses to coexist in confined environments such as cell walls and their potential role in determining mechanical properties in the absence of cellulose.
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia. Electronic address: patricia.lopez.sanchez@slu.se.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lopez-Sanchez
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Dongjie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Zhiyan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Bernadine
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Flanagan
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gidley
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry; D056625:Endosperm / Q000166:cytology; D005782:Gels; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D013696:Temperature; D014990:Xylans / Q000737:chemistry*; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; D014990:Xylans; D047071:beta-Glucans; C085118:arabinoxylan
keywords: Arabinoxylan; Compression; Cryogelation; Gels; Microstructure; β-Glucan