On the structure of kappa/iota-hybrid carrageenans

Carbohydr Res. 2001 Apr 12;331(3):271-83. doi: 10.1016/s0008-6215(01)00054-4.

Abstract

The coil-to-helix transition and temperature dependence of the viscosity of commercial kappa/iota-hybrid carrageenans produced by the red algae Sarcothalia crispata, Mazaella laminarioides, and Chondrus crispus were studied using rheometry and optical rotation. The structure of these kappa/iota-hybrid carrageenans was determined by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy combined with monosaccharide composition analysis. The coil-to-helix transitions, measured by polarimetry and rheometry, of the kappa/iota-hybrid carrageenans are significantly different from those of pure kappa- and iota-carrageenan, and from hand-made mixtures thereof. This provides evidence that the kappa/iota-hybrid carrageenans are mixed chains, containing both kappa- and iota-repeating units.

MeSH terms

  • Carbohydrate Conformation
  • Carrageenan / chemistry*
  • Monosaccharides / analysis
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular
  • Optical Rotation
  • Potassium Chloride / pharmacology
  • Rhodophyta / chemistry
  • Temperature
  • Viscosity

Substances

  • Monosaccharides
  • Potassium Chloride
  • Carrageenan