Impact of urea on the three-dimensional structure, viscoelastic and thermal behavior of iota-carrageenan

Urea breaks hydrogen bonds among biopolymers leading to structural destabilization. In the case of hydrocolloids urea addition is thought to impact gelation. Detailed information about its pertinent role on influencing the structure-function relationships of hydrocolloids is still elusive, however. The present investigation is aimed at delineating hydrocolloids structural behavior in the presence of urea employing iota-carrageenan as a model system. X-ray fiber diffraction, rheological and thermal properties of two iota-carrageenan solutions with weight concentrations 4.5 and 6.0% (w/w) at two urea molar concentrations (0.5 and 2.0 M) with and without heat treatments have been analyzed. X-ray results suggest that the canonical double helical structural arrangement of iota-carrageenan is maintained even after urea addition. However, improved crystallinity, ordering and altered unit cell dimensions especially with heat treatments of the binary mixtures indicate the promotion of favorable interactions among carrageenan helices in the presence of urea. Increased elastic modulus and onset temperature of melting endotherm with the heat treatment compared to cold addition further attests the X-ray observations of enhanced structural ordering. Overall, results suggest that urea molecules synergistically aid iota-carrageenan interactions and stabilize structure of junction zones. Our findings are deemed to be helpful in the design and development of novel non-food applications of hydrocolloids.