Ferulated Pectins and Ferulated Arabinoxylans Mixed Gel for Saccharomyces boulardii Entrapment in Electrosprayed Microbeads.

Ferulated polysaccharides such as pectin and arabinoxylan form covalent gels which are attractive for drug delivery or cell immobilization. Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic yeast known for providing humans with health benefits; however, its application is limited by viability loss under environmental stress. In this study, ferulated pectin from sugar beet solid waste (SBWP) and ferulated arabinoxylan from maize bioethanol waste (AX) were used to form a covalent mixed gel, which was in turn used to entrap S. boulardii (2.08 × 108 cells/mL) in microbeads using electrospray. SBWP presented a low degree of esterification (30%), which allowed gelation through Ca2+, making it possible to reduce microbead aggregation and coalescence by curing the particles in a 2% CaCl2 cross-linking solution. SBWP/AX and SBWP/AX+ S. boulardii microbeads presented a diameter of 214 and 344 µm, respectively, and a covalent cross-linking content (dimers di-FA and trimer tri-FA of ferulic acid) of 1.15 mg/g polysaccharide. The 8-5', 8-O-4'and 5-5'di-FA isomers proportions were 79%, 18%, and 3%, respectively. Confocal laser scanning microscopy images of propidium iodide-stained yeasts confirmed cell viability before and after microbeads preparation by electrospray. SBWP/AX capability to entrap S. boulardii would represent an alternative for probiotic immobilization in tailored biomaterials and an opportunity for sustainable waste upcycling to value-added products.

Examining the contribution of cell wall polysaccharides to the mechanical properties of apple parenchyma tissue using exogenous enzymes.

The viscoelastic mechanical properties of water-rich plant tissues are fundamental for many aspects of organ physiology and plant functioning. These properties are determined partly by the water in cellular vacuole and partly by the mechanical properties of the cell wall, the latter varying according to the composition and organization of its polysaccharides. In this study, relationships between the viscoelastic properties of apple cortex parenchyma tissue and cell wall pectin, hemicelluloses, and cellulose structures were studied by infusing the tissue with selected sets of purified enzymes in a controlled osmoticum. The results showed that tissue elasticity and viscosity were related, and controlled to variable extents by all the targeted polysaccharides. Among them, pectic homogalacturonan domains, crystalline cellulose, and fucosylated xyloglucan were revealed as being of prime importance in determining the viscoelastic mechanical properties of apple cortex tissue.

Non-cellulosic polysaccharide distribution during G-layer formation in poplar tension wood fibers: abundance of rhamnogalacturonan I and arabinogalactan proteins but no evidence of xyloglucan.

MAIN CONCLUSION: RG-I and AGP, but not XG, are associated to the building of the peculiar mechanical properties of tension wood. Hardwood trees produce tension wood (TW) with specific mechanical properties to cope with environmental cues. Poplar TW fibers have an additional cell wall layer, the G-layer responsible for TW mechanical properties. We investigated, in two poplar hybrid species, the molecules potentially involved in the building of TW mechanical properties. First, we evaluated the distribution of the different classes of non-cellulosic polysaccharides during xylem fiber differentiation, using immunolocalization. In parallel, G-layers were isolated and their polysaccharide composition determined. These complementary approaches provided information on the occurrence of non-cellulosic polysaccharides during G-fiber differentiation. We found no evidence of the presence of xyloglucan (XG) in poplar G-layers, whereas arabinogalactan proteins (AGP) and rhamnogalacturonan type I pectins (RG-I) were abundant, with an apparent progressive loss of RG-I side chains during G-layer maturation. Similarly, the intensity of immunolabeling signals specific for glucomannans and glucuronoxylans varies during G-layer maturation. RG-I and AGP are best candidate matrix components to be responsible for TW mechanical properties.

Fractionation and structural characterization of LiCl-DMSO soluble hemicelluloses from tomato.

To prepare and explore the structure of native hemicellulose from tomato, extraction of the natively acetylated polysaccharides was achieved from partially depectinated cell walls by DMSO doped with LiCl. DEAE anion exchange chromatography of the LiCl-DMSO extract allowed the removal of residual acidic pectin and the isolation of acetylated glucuronoxylan. The hemicellulose neutral fraction from the anion exchanger was fractionated by size exclusion chromatography into xyloglucan (XyG) and galactoglucomannan (GgM) either as single major constituents or as mixtures of both. Residual hemicellulose in the cell wall was extracted by 4.0 M and not 1.0 M KOH. The fine structure of all LiCl-DMSO fractions and alkali extracts was assessed by coupling ß-glucanase, ß-mannanase and ß-xylanase enzymatic degradations to the analysis of the resulting fragments by HPAEC and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. This approach revealed substitutions in part of the GgM fractions by pentose residues, presumably arabinose and/or xylose occurring in highly substituted block domains. It also demonstrated a different glucanase hydrolysis profile from 4.0 M KOH compared to LiCl-DMSO soluble fractions. The present extraction and purification scheme allow the recovery of several populations of acetylated hemicellulose families which emphasize the structural diversity and complexity of these polysaccharides.

Concomitant changes in viscoelastic properties and amorphous polymers during the hydrothermal treatment of hardwood and softwood.

The aim of this study was to understand how the molecular structures of amorphous polymers influence wood viscoelastic properties. Wood from oak and spruce was subjected to hydrothermal treatments at 110 or 135 degrees C. Wood rigidity, reflected by the wood storage modulus, showed different modification patterns according to the wood species or the temperature level. Because viscoelasticity is dependent on wood amorphous polymers, modifications of lignins and noncellulosic polysaccharides were examined. Hemicellulose degradation occurred only at 135 degrees C. In contrast, lignins displayed major structural alterations even at 110 degrees C. In oak lignins, the beta-O-4 bonds were extensively degraded and wood rigidity decreased dramatically during the first hours of treatment. Spruce lignins have a lower beta-O-4 content and, relative to oak, the wood rigidity decrease due to treatment was less pronounced. Wood rigidity was restored to its initial value by prolonged treatment, probably due to the formation of condensed bonds in cell wall polymers.