R. Tuinier et al., Effects of structural modifications on some physical characteristics of exopolysaccharides from Lactococcus lactis, BIOPOLYMERS, 59(3), 2001, pp. 160-166
The relationship between the primary structure and the chain stiffness of e
xopolysaccharides (EPSs) and modified EPSs produced by two strains of Lacto
coccus lactis subsp. cremoris was investigated. The molar mass an radius of
gyration of these exopolysaccharides were analyzed by multiangle static li
ght scattering after size-exclusion chromatography. From these results and
the chemical structure of the repeating units of the investigated EPSs, the
Kuhn lengths could be calculated. We found that the initial Kuhn lengths o
f the two native EPSs are similar. Modification of the EPSs by removing par
ts of the side groups resulted in a decrease in both the absolute value and
the normalized value of the Kuhn length. It is therefore concluded that pa
rtial removal of the side groups of these polysaccharides could make them l
ess efficient as thickeners if no specific interaction with other component
s occurs. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.