Alkylated pectin: Molecular characterization, conformational change and gel property

The molecular characterization, conformational change and gel property of alkylated pectins (ALP) prepared by chemical covalent binding with different alkyl chains (C 6 , C 12 , or C 18 ) at different degrees of substitution (DS) (1.35, 2.90 or 4.53) were investigated. Molecular weight of ALP was affected by degradation, alkylation and aggregation. The conformation parameter α (obtained from R g vs M w ) and ρ (R g /R h ) both indicated that original pectin (HMP) and ALP with the lowest DS and the shortest alkyl chain had random coil conformation, while ALP with the greater DS and longer chain had sphere conformation in 0.1 M NaCl. In addition, we observed that the gel strength of ALP with higher DS and longer chain length was higher than HMP, and they were significantly positively correlated with the conformation parameter M w .