Isolation of micro- and nano-crystalline cellulose particles and fabrication of crystalline particles-loaded whey protein cold-set gel

Maede Ahmadi; Ashkan Madadlou; Ali Akbar Sabouri

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.11.038

Isolation of micro- and nano-crystalline cellulose particles and fabrication of crystalline particles-loaded whey protein cold-set gel

Food Chem. 2015 May 1:174:97-103. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.11.038. Epub 2014 Nov 15.

Authors

Maede Ahmadi¹, Ashkan Madadlou², Ali Akbar Sabouri³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science & Engineering, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
² Department of Food Science & Engineering, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran; Center of Excellence for Application of Modern Technologies for Producing Functional Foods and Drinks, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. Electronic address: a.madadlou@ut.ac.ir.
³ Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

PMID: 25529657
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.11.038

Abstract

Micro- and nano-crystalline cellulose (MCC and NCC, respectively) particles isolated from cellulose filter papers via acid digestion were characterised and loaded into a heat-denatured whey protein isolate (WPI) solution which was subsequently cold-set-gelled. Both the MCC and NCC particles were rod-shaped and had higher crystallinity degrees than had the cellulose source they were isolated from. The hydrodynamic diameter of NCC particles was ≈ 15 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy suggested more surface hydroxyl groups on the NCC than the MCC particles and complete digestion of hemicellulose on the cellulosic substrate by acid. MCC- and NCC-loaded WPI gel matrices were topographically less uniform and contained many more undulations in comparison to the crystal-free counterpart. It was found, using dynamic rheometry and penetration tests, that the crystal loading into WPI gels weakened the texture. Non-covalent interactions between the cellulose crystals and whey protein strands were proposed in the gel structure according to FTIR results.

Keywords: Cellulose; Gel; Microcrystalline cellulose; Nanocrystalline cellulose; Whey protein.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cellulose / chemistry*
Gels / chemistry
Milk Proteins / chemistry*
Particle Size
Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
Whey Proteins

Substances

Gels
Milk Proteins
Whey Proteins
Cellulose