Capítulo 5

MASUELLI, MARTIN ALBERTO; MARIA GABRIELA SNASONE

Hydrodynamic properties of Gelatin. Studies from intrinsic viscosity measurements

INTECH Open Science

Lugar: Rijeka; Año: 2012; p. 86 - 116

Hydrodynamic properties are important parameters affecting the performance of gelatin in aquaeuos solution. This protein is thickening and gelling agents in foods, biomedical, and pharmaceutical industry. The most common and economical of the hydrodynamic properties is the determination of viscosity, in that it is determined the intrinsic viscosity and diffusion coefficient. Indirectly measure are calculated the viscometric molecular weight (Mv); hydrodynamic radius (RH); Simha number, (ν(a/b)); Perrin parameter (P); Scheraga-Mandelkern parameter (β); Flory parameters (f0 and P0); and with density measures is deteminated the hydration value (δ). All hydrodynamic parameters are temperature dependent. Normally these parameters are reported at a temperature of 25ºC, which limits its application to different temperatures. This work studies gelatin dependence with temperature, finding that this biopolymer in aqueous solution behaves presents a conformation random coil model with ν(a/b) = 4.17, and a value from 0.7808 at 0.6731. Gelatin behavior in this system indicates that it behaves colloidal particle that tends to compact with increasing temperature (RH decrease). The molecular weight calculated to gelatin is 95000g/mol, with Tgel of 30°C, evidenced as a change in the slope of the plot of intrinsic viscosity as a function of temperature.   Keywords. Gelatin, hydrodynamic parameters, Mark-Houwink-Sakurada parameters, Temperature.