Effect of Heat Treatment on Dilute Solution Properties of Sugar Beet Pectin

Abstract

Beet Pectin (SBP) polysaccharide. Aqueous solution properties of these samples have been studied using Ubbelohde capillary viscometer in the dilute regime. Intrinsic viscosity [η] was estimated for different SBP solution samples prepared from heat-treated SBP powdered samples with different heating time. Results suggest that heat treatment has a significant effect on solution behavior of SBP samples. Intrinsic viscosities decreased with increasing heating time indicating that heat-treated SBP molecules are compact than the untreated one and the compactness increases with increasing heating time at 80°C. The intrinsic viscosities of these samples were plotted as a function of the corresponding molecular weight of the samples and can be expressed by a power law. The power law exponent was estimated as 1.4 indicating that pectin molecules takes the conformation of stiff polymer chains in dilute solution.