Structure conformational, physicochemical and rheological characterisation of red clover seed (Trifolium pratense L.) galactomannan
Authors
You L., Dieden R., Fleming Y., Fortuin J., Shaplov A., Odelli D., Pittois D., Ritzoulis C., Soukoulis C.
Reference
Food Hydrocolloids, vol. 168, art. no. 111517, 2025
Description
In the present work, a galactomannan isolated from the endosperm of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) seeds was studied for its feasibility as a thickening and gelling agent in food applications. Red clover seed galactomannan (RCG) had a mannose-to-galactose ratio of 1.12, a molecular weight of 1500 kDa (SEC-MALS) and an intrinsic viscosity of 13.6 dL g−1. The solvation affinity of RCG in water was equivalent to θ-solvent, according to the estimated Kraemer and Huggins coefficients. The critical coil overlap concentration of the RCG solutions in water was estimated to be c∗ = 0.35 wt %, whereas the concentration dependence of specific viscosity in the dilute and semi-dilute regimes was ∝ c2.3 and c4.2, respectively. The water vapour sorption dynamics of RCG were controlled by a solution-like sorption mechanism. RCG exhibited a semi-crystalline structure with the glass transition occurring at Tg,onset ≈ 44 °C. The viscoelastic behaviour of the RCG solutions (1–7 wt %) obeyed the concentration superposition principle with a breakpoint in the relaxation dynamics to occur at c ≈ 2 wt %. A time-temperature-concentration super master curve was successfully constructed for c ≥ 2 wt % and temperatures between 5 and 65 °C with an Arrhenius kinetics calculated activation energy of 23.5 kJ/mol.
Link
doi:10.1016/j.foodhyd.2025.111517
