Structural characterization of three acidic polysaccharides from Opuntia dillenii Haw.fruits and their protective effect against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in Huh-7 cells

Three novel acidic polysaccharide fractions(OFPP-1,OFPP-2,OFPP-3)with different m olecular weights(803.7,555.1 and 414.5 k Da)were isolated from the peeled Opuntia dillenii Haw.fruits by alkali-extraction,graded alcohol precipitation and column chromatography.Structural analysis indicated that OFPPs were pectic polysaccharides consisting of rhamnose,arabinose and galactose residues.The backbone of OFPP-1 consisted of a repeating unit→6-α-D-Galp A-(1→2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→with T-α-D-Galp A-(1→6)-α-D-Galp A-(1→4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→,T-β-D-Xylp-(1→6)-α-D-Galp A-(1→4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→or T-α-D-Galp A-(1→3)-α-L-Araf-(1→as the side chains.The backbone of OFPP-2 consisted of a disaccharide repeating unit→2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→4)-β-D-Galp A-(1→with T-β-L-Araf-(1→as the branches substituted at the O-4 position of→2,4)-α-LRhap-(1→.Whereas the backbone of OFPP-3 was→2,4)-α-L-Rhap-(1→2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→3)-β-L-Araf-(1→or→2,4)-α-L-Rhap-(1→2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→4)-β-D-Galp A-(1→,which was branched at the O-4 position of→2,4)-α-L-Rhap-(1→.Moreover,these three polysaccharide fractions could protect Huh-7 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative stress to different extents by decreasing the MDA content and increasing the SOD,CAT,GSH-Px activities and the GSH level in the Huh-7 cells.These results suggest that OFPPs have the potential to be used as natural antioxidants.

The structural characteristics of dietary fibers from Tremella fuciformis and their hypolipidemic effects in mice

In this study,Tremella fuciformis residues as raw material,dietary fibers from tremella were prepared by multiple enzymes.The structure of dietary fibers from tremella was studied by Fourier transform infrared(FTIR),X-ray diffraction analysis(XRD)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).We analyzed their lipidlowering properties in vitro(water holding,oil holding swelling cholesterol and sodium cholate binding capacitises)and the hypolipidemic effects in mice.The results showed that tremella dietary fibers presented the infrared absorption spectrum characteristics of polysaccharides and the characteristic diffraction peaks of cellulose type I.SEM results indicated that the surface of insoluble dietary fiber(IDF)was porous,while the soluble dietary fiber(SDF)was relatively compact and spongy.IDF exhibited significantly higher water holding,oil holding,and swelling binding capacities than the corresponding SDF.However,SDF exhibited significantly higher viscosity than IDF.The results showed tremella dietary fibers were significant in swelling,water holding and oil holding,cholesterol and bile acids.In vivo experiment results in mice indicated that SDF has the best effect on hyperlipidemia mice than IDF and total dietary fiber(TDF).SDF showed that the total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG)and low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)contents dropped by 28.33%,18.65%,and 48.97%,respectively,while high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)content increased by 43.80%.Compared with the high-fat control(HCM)group,the arteriosclerosis index(AI)and liver index(LI)of the SDF group mice showed significant differences,indicating that SDF has a good auxiliary effect of lowering blood lipids.The administration of tremella fibers improved the lipid metabolism disorderly situation of hyperlipidemia mice.These results provide a reference for further research and rational development of T.fuciformis.

Structural characterization and immunostimulatory activity of a water-soluble polysaccharide from abalone(Haliotis discus hannai Ino)muscle

A water-soluble polysaccharide from abalone muscle(AMPP)was isolated.The contents of carbohydrate,protein,uronic acid,and sulfate in AMPP were 83.5%,0.5%,2.7%,and 2.6%,respectively.High-performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated that AMPP was homogeneous and had an average molecular weight of approximately 3.2 kDa.The main monosaccharides of AMPP were glucose(Glc)and mannose with a molar ratio of 99.7:0.3.The structural characteristics of AMPP were elucidated through methylation analysis,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.The linkages of AMPP consisted of terminal,1,4-linked,1,6-linked,and 1,4,6-linked Glcp with a molar ratio of 3.1:7.2:1.0:2.5.In one repeat unit of the proposed AMPP structure,the backbone chain was composed of eight 1→4 glycosidic bonds and one 1→6 glycosidic bond,with three branch chains linked by 1→6 glycosidic bond.In addition,AMPP was found to possess potent immunostimulatory activity via rising phagocytosis of RAW264.7 cells and promoting secretion of TNF-α.

Physicochemical, structural characterization, and antioxidant activities of chondroitin sulfate from Oreochromis niloticus bones

In this study,chondroitin sulfate was extracted from Oreochromis niloticus bones(OCS)and isolated to three fractions(OCS-1,OCS-2,and OCS-3).The physicochemical properties and structure characterization including monosaccharide,disaccharide compositions,molecular weight(Mw)of OCS were determined by HPAEC,HPLC-SAX,HPGPC,FT-IR spectra,and 1D/2D NMR.Moreover,their thermal properties,crystalline structure,and microstructure were also analyzed.Results showed that their Mw were between 10 kDa and 50 kDa.CS-6 was the predominant disaccharide unit in four OCS,and the CS-4/CS-6 ratios were close to CS from shark cartilage.Besides,the results of antioxidant activity showed that different fractions of OCS had a distinct DPPH radical,hydroxyl radical,and ABTS+radical scavenging activity.OCS-1 has the highest scavenging activities in DPPH and hydroxyl radical compared with other fractions,which showed a higher medicinal value.Those findings may lay some theoretical basis for the potential application development of OCS.

Characterization of physicochemical and immunogenic properties of allergenic proteins altered by food processing:a review

Food allergens are mainly naturally-occurring proteins with immunoglobulin E(IgE)-binding epitopes.Understanding the structural and immunogenic characteristics of allergenic proteins is essential in assessing whether and how food processing techniques reduce allergenicity.We here discuss the impacts of food processing technologies on the modification of physicochemical,structural,and immunogenic properties of allergenic proteins.Detection techniques for characterizing changes in these properties of food allergens are summarized.Food processing helps to reduce allergenicity by aggregating or denaturing proteins,which masks,modifies,or destroys antigenic epitopes,whereas,it cannot eliminate allergenicity completely,and sometimes even improves allergenicity by exposing new epitopes.Moreover,most food processing techniques have been tested on purified food allergens rather than food products due to potential interference of other food components.We provide guidance for further development of processing operations that can decrease the allergenicity of allergenic food proteins without negatively impacting the nutritional profile.

Effects of structural characterizations on fragility functions of bridges subject to seismic shaking and lateral spreading

This paper evaluates the seismic vulnerability of different classes of typical bridges in California when subjected to seismic shaking or liquefaction-induced lateral spreading. The detailed structural configurations in terms of superstructure type, connection, continuity at support and foundation type, etc. render different damage resistant capability. Six classes of bridges are established based on their anticipated failure mechanisms under earthquake shaking. The numerical models that are capable of simulating the complex soil-structure interaction effects, nonlinear behavior of columns and connections are developed for each bridge class. The dynamic responses are obtained using nonlinear time history analyses for a suite of 250 earthquake motions with increasing intensity. An equivalent static analysis procedure is also implemented to evaluate the vulnerability of the bridges when subjected to liquefaction-induced lateral spreading. Fragility functions for each bridge class are derived and compared for both seismic shaking （based on nonlinear dynamic analyses） and lateral spreading （based on equivalent static analyses） for different performance states. The study finds that the fragility functions due to either ground shaking or lateral spreading show significant correlation with the structural characterizations, but differences emerge for ground shaking and lateral spreading conditions. Structural properties that will mostly affect the bridges＇ damage resistant capacity are also identified.

Isolation,purification,structural characteristic and antioxidative property of polysaccharides from A.cepa L.var.agrogatum Don

Allium cepa L.var.agrogatum Don(ALAP)is commonly consumed in China as well as other regions and has various beneficial health effects.A novel acidic polysaccharide(named ALAP-21)was obtained from ALAP by ultrasonic and microwave-assisted extraction and purification using DEAE-52 anion exchange and Sephadex G-100 columns.The monosaccharide composition,structural and antioxidative properties of ALAP-21 were investigated by GC–MS chromatography,FT-IR and NMR spectroscopies and three antioxidative activity tests in vitro.The results showed that ALAP-21 was a heteropolysaccharide composed of glucose,galacturonic acid,mannose,galactose,arabinose,rhamnose,xylose,fructose and glucuronic acid with a relative molar ratio of 26.282:27.546:11.400:4.781:2.467:2.445:3.622:1.106:1.753,owning(1→4)-β-d-Glcp,(1→4)-β-d-GalAp6Me3OA,(1→4)-β-d-Galp6OMe,(1→2)-β-l-Rhap,(1→4)-β-d-Manp glycosidic linkages.(1→4)-β-d-Glcp and(1→4)-β-d-GalAp6Me3OA residues might be the main components of the sugar chain backbone of ALAP-21.Furthermore,ALAP-21 exhibited high potential for DPPH radicals(82.02%),hydroxyl radicals(53.33%)and superoxide anion radicals(50.28%).These results provide a reference for further research and rational development of ALAP polysaccharides.

Structural Characterization of Lignins Isolated from Caragana sinica Using FT-IR and NMR Spectroscopy

In order to efficiently explore and use woody biomass,six lignin fractions were isolated from dewaxed Caragana sinica via successive extraction with organic solvents and alkaline solutions.The lignin structures were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR) and 1D and 2D Nuclear Magnetic Resonance(NMR).FT-IR spectra revealed that the "core" of the lignin structure did not significantly change during the treatment under the conditions given.The results of 1H and 13C NMR demonstrated that the lignin fraction L2,isolated with 70% ethanol containing 1% NaOH,was mainly composed of β-O-4 ether bonds together with G and S units and trace p-hydroxyphenyl unit.Based on the 2D HSQC NMR spectrum,the ethanol organosolv lignin fraction L1,extracted with 70% ethanol,presents a predominance of β-O-4′ aryl ether linkages(61% of total side chains),and a low abundance of condensed carbon-carbon linked structures(such as ββ′,β-1′,and β-5′) and a lower S/G ratio.Furthermore,a small percentage(ca.9%) of the linkage side chain was found to be acylated at the γ-carbon.

Structural Changes of Wheat Straw Lignin during Formic Acid Treatment

The aromatic nature of lignin makes it a potential renewable source of chemicals and other valuable products.Isolation of lignin from lignocellulosic biomass using organic solvents enables the production of high-purity lignin.The use of formic acid in the organosolv pulping and fractionation process has been widely studied.Characterization of lignin is necessary to achieve valueadded applications of lignin.To simplify the isolation of formic acid-treated lignin,herein,milled wheat straw lignin(MWSL) was employed as an archetype for characterization of the structural changes of lignin during formic acid treatment.The results showed that the MWSL was GSH-type(comprising p-hydroxyphenyl(H),guaiacyl(G),and syringyl(S) monolignols) and underwent structural changes during formic acid treatment.Lignin was esterified during the formic acid treatment.The content of alkyl hydroxyl groups in lignin decreased upon formic acid treatment,corresponding to an increase of the number of double bond equivalents(DBE).Lignin units with active reaction sites were liable to slight condensation,which resulted in a moderate increase of the molecular weight.The molecular weight distribution of formic acid-treated MWSL(FMWSL) was wider than that of the MWSL,although the molecular weight of both species did not differ significantly.The β-O-4 linkage in lignin was partially cleaved during formic acid treatment,resulting in the production of new phenolic structures.This improved the solubility of lignin in the cooking liquor and its reactivity for downstream applications.

Green Method, Optical and Structural Characterization of ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Leaves Extract of M. oleifera

ZnO nanoparticles(ZnO-NP)present innovative optical,electrical,and magnetic properties that depend on spe-cific characteristics,e.g.,size,distribution,and morphology.Thus,these properties are essential to address various applications in areas such as electronics,medicine,energy,and others.In addition,the performance of this ZnO-NP depends of their preparation which can be done by chemical,physical,and biological methods.Meanwhile,nowadays,the main interest in developing ZnO-NP synthesis through biological methods bases on the decrease of use of toxic chemicals or energy applied to the procedures,making the process more cost-effective and environ-mentally friendly.However,the large-scale production of nanoparticles by green synthesis remains a big challenge due to the complexity of the biological extracts used in chemical reactions.That being the case,the preparation of ZnO-NP using Moringa oleifera extract as an alternative biological agent for capping and reduction in synthesis was evaluated in this work.Then,the results based on the analysis of the optical and structural characterization of the ZnO-NP obtained by employing UV-Vis,DLS,zeta potential,XRD,ATR-FTIR,and FE-SEM indicate mostly the presence of spherical nanosized material with a mean hydrodynamic diameter of 47.2 nm measured by DLS and a mean size diameter of 25 nm observed with FE-SEM technique.Furthermore,in FE-SEM images a homo-geneous dispersion and distribution is observed in the absence of agglutination,agglomeration,or generation of significant lumps of the ZnO-NP.The XRD analysis showed that heat annealing induced the crystallite size favor-ing their monocrystallinity.Those obtained data confirm the synthesis of ZnO-NP and the absence of impurities associated with organic compounds in the annealed samples.Finally,those results and low-cost production pre-sent to the synthesized ZnO-NP by this biological method as a useful material in several applications.

Structure elucidation and in vitro rat intestinal fermentation properties of a novel sulfated glucogalactan from Porphyra haitanensis

This study was to investigate the structure and rat fecal microbial fermentation properties of a polysaccharide fraction(PHP2)isolated from the red marine alga Porphyra haitanensis.PHP2 was characterized as a sulfated glucogalactan,with a hypothetical backbone structure of→4)Gα(1→6)G4 Sβ(1→4)Glc(1→and a side chain of Man(1→6)Glc.PHP2 had an irregular spherical chain conformation.The 16 S r RNA sequence analysis revealed that PHP2 modulated the rat fecal micro-flora composition,with a similar effect to inulin,changing the dominant genus(Lactobacillus and Escherichia-Shigella)and promoting the growth of organisms that degrade sulfur-containing polysaccharides,such as Desulfovibrio,Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005,and Ruminococcus_2.PHP2 can promote production of acetic,propionic and butyric acid by rat fecal micro-flora.Prediction of metabolic function suggested that PHP2 could modulate cholesterol metabolism.The sulfated glucogalactan fermentation behavior may be associated with its monosaccharide composition,chain branching and chain conformation.PHP2 appeared to have considerable potential as functional food,and was associated with sulfur-containing polysaccharides in general.

Supercapacitive properties of MnNiS_(x)@Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene positive electrode assisted by functionalized ionic liquid

MnNiS_(x)@Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)as the positive electrode of supercapacitor was successfully prepared by hydrothermal method with the assistance of amino-functionalized ionic liquids.The micromorphological structures of MnNiS_(x)@Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)were analyzed using X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscope,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,transmission electron microscope,and energy dispersive spectrometer to reveal the synergistic effect between MnNiSxand Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene.MnNiS——x grew into a three-dimensional coral-like structure on the surface and between layers of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)nanosheets.This structure alleviated the collapse and stacking of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x),increased the specific surface area of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x),and promoted the charges transfer on the surface of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x).The electrochemical performances of MnNiS_(x)@Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)positive electrode,such as cyclic voltammetry,galvanostatic charge/discharge,and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,were investigated.The synergistic effect between MnNiSxand Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene improved the specific capacitance and the capacitance retention of the MnNiS_(x)@Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)electrode.An asymmetric solid-state supercapacitor(ASC)assembled using MnNiS_(x)@Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)as cathode material had the power density of 816.34 W·kg^(-1),and the energy density of 35.11 Wh·kg^(-1).The capacitance retention of ASC reached 98% after 5000 cycles at a current density of 5 A·g^(-1).

Model-constrained and data-driven double-supervision acoustic impedance inversion

Seismic impedance inversion is an important technique for structure identification and reservoir prediction.Model-based and data-driven impedance inversion are the commonly used inversion methods.In practice,the geophysical inversion problem is essentially an ill-posedness problem,which means that there are many solutions corresponding to the same seismic data.Therefore,regularization schemes,which can provide stable and unique inversion results to some extent,have been introduced into the objective function as constrain terms.Among them,given a low-frequency initial impedance model is the most commonly used regularization method,which can provide a smooth and stable solution.However,this model-based inversion method relies heavily on the initial model and the inversion result is band limited to the effective frequency bandwidth of seismic data,which cannot effectively improve the seismic vertical resolution and is difficult to be applied to complex structural regions.Therefore,we propose a data-driven approach for high-resolution impedance inversion based on the bidirectional long short-term memory recurrent neural network,which regards seismic data as time-series rather than image-like patches.Compared with the model-based inversion method,the data-driven approach provides higher resolution inversion results,which demonstrates the effectiveness of the data-driven method for recovering the high-frequency components.However,judging from the inversion results for characterization the spatial distribution of thin-layer sands,the accuracy of high-frequency components is difficult to guarantee.Therefore,we add the model constraint to the objective function to overcome the shortages of relying only on the data-driven schemes.First,constructing the supervisor1 based on the bidirectional long short-term memory recurrent neural network,which provides the predicted impedance with higher resolution.Then,convolution constraint as supervisor2 is introduced into the objective function to guarantee the reliability and accuracy of the inversion results,which makes the synthetic seismic data obtained from the inversion result consistent with the input data.Finally,we test the proposed scheme based on the synthetic and field seismic data.Compared to model-based and purely data-driven impedance inversion methods,the proposed approach provides more accurate and reliable inversion results while with higher vertical resolution and better spatial continuity.The inversion results accurately characterize the spatial distribution relationship of thin sands.The model tests demonstrate that the model-constrained and data-driven impedance inversion scheme can effectively improve the thin-layer structure characterization based on the seismic data.Moreover,tests on the oil field data indicate the practicality and adaptability of the proposed method.

Research Progress on Structure and Bioactivity of Longan Polysaccharide

Longan originates from southern China and has high nutritional and health value.Recent phytochemistry and pharmacology studies have shown that polysaccharides are a main bioactive component of longan.Longan polysaccharides possess antioxidant,anti-aging,anti-tumor,immunomodulatory,and other bioactivities.Hot-water extraction,ethanol precipitation,and ultrasonic extraction are generally used to extract water-soluble longan polysaccharides.However,the relationship between the structure and bioactivity of longan polysaccharides remains unclear,requiring further investigation.The aim of this review is to evaluate the current literature focusing on the extraction,purification,structural characterization,and biological activity of longan polysaccharides.We believe that this review would provide a useful bibliography for further innovation and a basis for using longan polysaccharides in functional food.

Structural and Chemical Characterization of the Ediacaran Embryo-Like Fossils via the Combination of 3D-XRM and FIB-SEM Approaches

The three-dimensional(3D)morphology,anatomy,and in-situ chemical composition analysis of fossils are crucial for systematic paleontology and determining their phylogenetic positions.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS),offers valuable structural and chemical information for the analysis of fossils.However,its primary limitation is the restriction to two-dimensional surface data,which limits the exploration of fossils’3D complexities.Conversely,3D X-ray microscopy(3D-XRM),also known as a novel form of micro-computed tomography(micro-CT)facilitates the non-destructive 3D reconstruction of fossil specimens.Nevertheless,it lacks the capability to provide in-situ compositional data.Acknowledging the constraints inherent in these individual techniques,and in response to the evolving requirements of paleontological research,this study introduces an integrated approach that combines 3D-XRM with EDS-coupled focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy(FIB-SEM).This innovative strategy is designed to synergize the advantages of both techniques,thereby addressing challenges that conventional methods cannot.It enables the rapid identification of regions of interest(ROI)within fossil specimens at micrometer resolution.Subsequently,this method collects detailed data on both 3D structures and chemical compositions at the nanometer scale for the identified ROI.This integrated approach represents a significant advancement in paleontological and geological research methodologies,promising to meet the increasing demands of these fields.

Effects of coating formulation on structural changes of turkey nugget during frying:MRI evaluation

Application of nondestructive techniques combined with image processing techniques has been increasing in investigating the internal structure of food products.Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)is one of these methods.The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of coating formulation on structural properties of turkey nugget samples(turkey nugget with typical batter,tragacanth-containing batter and tragacanth)by MRI.Results revealed that the changes caused by the batter formulation could also be examined using the tomographic images.The results also indicated that the brightness of the MRI images of the nugget core and crust decreased during frying.The core of the nugget with the tragacanth-containing batter was brighter revealing its higher moisture content.Furthermore,the nugget core was less reduced in this sample compared with the other ones.This research aimed to present a valuable knowledge about nugget frying pertaining to quality evaluation.

Purifi cation, characterization and hypoglycemic activity of glycoproteins obtained from pea (Pisum sativum L.)

This study aimed to isolate and characterize the structures of glycoproteins from peas and determine their hypoglycemic activity.The crude pea glycoproteins(PGP)were extracted by hot water and purified by diethylaminoethyl(DEAE)-Sepharose chromatography and Sephadex G-100 size-exclusion chromatography in sequence.Then three main fractions were obtained,namely PGP1,PGP2 and PGP3,with molecular weights of 897615,846740 and 1194692 Da,respectively.The physical and chemical properties of the three fractions were evaluated and compared by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),scanning electron microscope(SEM),high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)and other analytical techniques.The fraction PGP2 with the highest hypoglycemic activity,was screened using the Caco-2 monolayer cell model.It can inhibit the uptake of glucose in the small intestine,as well as the activities of maltase and sucrase.After simulated gastrointestinal digestion,PGP2 signifi cantly enhanced the inhibitory effect of α-glucosidase,and slightly reduced the inhibitory ability ofα-amylase.In summary,PGP2 possessed strong hypoglycemic activity after digestion.These results indicated that PGP2 has the potential to be developed into a functional food or natural medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Study on the Quantitative Structure-toxicity Relationships for the Selected Esters by Using Molecular Electronegativity Interaction Vector (MEIV)

The molecular electronegativity interaction vector （MEIV） was used to describe the molecular structure of 30 selected esters. Two excellent QSTR models were built up by using multiple linear regression （MLR） and partial least-squares regression （PLS）. The correlation coefficients （R） of the two models were 0.945 and 0.941, respectively. The models were evaluated by performing the cross validation with the leave-one-out （LOO） procedure. The cross-verification correlation coefficients （RCV） of the two models were 0.921 and 0.919, respectively. The results showed that the models constructed in this work could provide estimation stability and favorable predictive ability.

Production, structure, and bioactivity of polysaccharide isolated from Tremella fuciformis

Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide(TFP) is an important bioactive substance in T. fuciformis, which contributes to its application as medicine and food. In the present work, TFP was extracted with enzymatic combined with wet beating and its physicochemical as well as biological activities were investigated in the study. The result showed that the purity of TFP1 reached 92.14%(m/m). The TFP1, purified by DEAE column, had a molecular weight(Mw) of 5.8 × 10^(3) k Da and consisted mainly of mannose, xylose, fucose, glucose and glucuronic acid at a molar ratio of 1.91 : 0.1 : 2.49 : 6.23 : 0.95. The structure of TFP1 was preliminarily investigated by infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and atomic force microscope(AFM) analysis. Moreover, the antioxidant assays showed that TFP1 could scavenge DPPH, ABTS+ and hydroxyl radicals. The excellent water holding capacity of TFP1 implied its application in the food, pharmaceutical andcosmetic industries.

Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan/Carboxymethylated Konjac Glucomannan Blend Films

In order to improve the mechanical and water swelling properties of the chitosan (CS) film, a series of transparent films were prepared by blending 2%(weight) chitosan acetic acid solution with 1.5%(weight) carboxymethylated konjac glucomannan (CMKGM) aqueous solution according to predetermined ratio and drying at 30°C. The morphological structure, miscibility, thermal stability, mechanical properies, and swelling capacity of the blend films were studied by infrared (IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), and measurements of the mechanical properties and swelling properties. The results demonstrated that there was strong interaction and good miscibility between CS and CMKGM resulted from intermolecular hydrogen bonding and electrostatic force. The mechanical properties in dry state and wet state, thermostability, and water swelling properties of the blend films were obviously improved. The best values of the tensile strength in the dry and wet state achieved 89 MPa and 49 MPa, respectively, when the CMKGM content was 30%(weight). The CS/ CMKGM blend films provided promising biomedical applications.