Molecular investigations of flaxseed mucilage polysaccharides

The molecular properties of flaxseed mucilage were determined using a multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS) detector coupled on-line to size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4). Water and salt solution were tested as mobile phases. The SEC-MALLS method gave partial information and enabled molecular characterization of disaggregated mucilage molecules. Regardless of the eluent used, the observed Mw ranged from about 1.6 × 10(6) to more than 10 × 10(6) g/mol for mucilage polysaccharides. The AF4-MALLS system enabled a complete analysis of mucilage carbohydrate aggregates in water, in which two populations were satisfactorily separated. The molecular weight distribution (MWD) of molecules ranged from 1.5 × 10(6) to more than 4 × 10(8) g/mol. Experiments showed that the conformational structure of mucilage molecules was strongly influenced by ionic strength. Mucilage carbohydrates exhibited a spherical and compact structure in NaCl solution while they displayed a random-coil conformation in water.