Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Cereal (1→3)(1→4)-β-D-glucan, known as β-glucan, has both technological and physiological functionality related to its ability to increase viscosity in solutions. The viscosity is dependent on the molar mass, concentration and solubility of β-glucan, and thus any degradation during processing and storage may diminish its functionality. Quite recently, chemical oxidation was shown to be one factor leading to the degradation of β-glucan. The present study aimed to investigate the hydroxyl radical-mediated oxidation of cereal β-glucan, including the pathways and reaction products. Additionally, oxidised lipids were tested as a source of radicals in β-glucan oxidation. Finally, the physicochemical properties (e.g. aggregation and gelation) were studied in order to understand the influence of oxidation on functionality. Hydrogen peroxide was shown to be the strongest oxidant, leading to both oxidative degradation and the formation of oxidised groups (e.g. carbonyl groups) within the chain. Additionally, oxidation of reducing end glucose units led to the formation of arabinose and formic acid. With ascorbic acid the oxidation was milder and mostly scission of β-glucan occurred. This difference was also seen in the aggregation behaviour, with very large but densely packed aggregates being formed when oxidising β-glucan with hydrogen peroxide. With ascorbic acid, fewer aggregates were formed and they could not be separated from single oxidised molecules during field-flow fractionation. This finding suggests the formation of cross-links via the oxidised groups in the molecules. The study showed for the first time that cereal β-glucan can be degraded by radicals from lipid oxidation although the oxidative degradation was significantly milder than with hydrogen peroxide. The gelation of cereal β-glucan has been shown to be affected by the molar mass and structure (e.g. the ratio of DP3 and DP4 units) of β-glucan. However, former studies show gelation only at relatively high concentrations. In this study, gelation of barley and oat β-glucans (both native and oxidised) was shown with 1% and 1.5% solutions, respectively, when using optimised dissolution temperatures that resulted in partial solubilisation of β-glucan molecules. The partial dissolution was proposed to enable formation of nucleation cites for gelation. In this study, changes in the structure and physicochemical properties of barley and oat β-glucans due to oxidation were demonstrated. Additionally, gelation of both non-oxidised and oxidised β-glucan was shown at concentrations relevant for food products. The results of this study provide an understanding of the role of oxidation for the stability of β-glucan in processing and storage of foods. The study suggests that gelation of β-glucan could overcome the negative effects of oxidation-related viscosity loss.
Source: Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja
Author: Noora Mäkelä
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Helsingin Yliopisto
OpenAlex ID: W2762374226