A large range of products in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and chemical industries are emulsion-based. In emulsion, the interface formation is aided, and the system is stabilized by emulsifiers and/or stabilizers that modify the interfacial and bulk properties of the system. Wood hemicelluloses, specifically spruce galactoglucomannans (GGM), have shown very promising features as emulsifiers and stabilizers. Currently, several biorefinery approaches exist to obtain GGM from forest resources, such as sawdust or process water of pulp mills. Each approach and subsequent purification technique to remove non-polysaccharide compounds yields GGM samples with different macromolecular and chemical characteristics. However, their effect on the interfacial and bulk properties of GGM-stabilized emulsions has not been understood.<br/>In the present study, we studied the emulsification and stabilization potential of GGM obtained from three promising biorefinery procedures—pressurized-hot water extraction (PHWE), thermo-mechanical pulping process (TMP) and BLN, which is a modified hot water extraction method operating at near-vacuum conditions. First, to understand the bulk properties in emulsions, a detailed characterization of the solution properties of GGM was performed by asymmetric field-flow field fractionation coupled with multi-angle light scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Second, emulsions were prepared from GGM and characterized for their physical stability during storage. The droplet size distribution was monitored, and the droplets’ morphology was visualized by optical microscopy. The morphology of GGM at the oil/water interface in emulsions was characterized by SAXS.<br/>The results show that the isolation and subsequent purification procedure of GGM has a significant effect on their macromolecular characteristics. They determine the interfacial morphology, bulk properties, and stability of GGM emulsions. The current results provide insight 1) for the evaluation of biorefinery technique 2) for the optimization of extraction and purification procedure of each technique to produce functional emulsifiers from wood biomass, and 3) to design complex multiphasic systems from GGM.

Biorefining technology determines the macromolecular characteristics and interfacial properties of spruce galactoglucomannans

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.