Physicochemical properties of gliadin in different solvents (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), H2O, and aqueous ethanol) and pH (9.8, 6.8, and 1.2) were investigated using dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential (ZP), and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Gliadin-DMSO and gliadin-deionized water (H2O) (pH 9.8) showed a lower size distribution, whereas samples solubilized in 60% aqueous ethanol presented a lower size distribution only at pH 1.2. ZP analysis showed that gliadin-H2O (pH 9.8) was the most stable evaluated system. ZP results of gliadin-DMSO indicated an unstable system, with the coexistence of several protein conformations. ATR-FTIR analysis showed that, in H2O, most protein conformations were β-sheets, while in DMSO a band at 1660 cm−1 appeared to be related to protein unfolding. The techniques proved to be effective in monitoring conformation and stability of all gliadin/solvent systems. Such information can be used in the development of new gliadin-based materials.

The main objective of the present work is the investigation of a new method for starch hydrolysis. For this, we proposed the acid hydrolysis under the action of an external electric field, able to develop a faster reaction than the conventional one. Corn starch with 18% amylose was subjected to a fixed voltage, varying the external electric field application time and the number of cycles. Morphology, crystallinity, and thermal stability of the starches were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The results showed that the acid hydrolysis coupled with an external electric field allows a significant reduction in hydrolysis time, due to the orientation of the electrolyte ions. Cavities were observed at the surface of hydrolyzed starches after treatment. However, the principal feature is related to the increase of the granule crystallinity with increasing hydrolysis time. The results suggest that the starches treated by this new method are interesting candidates for application in the food industry if greater gelatinization resistance is required.

A síntese e a caracterização de dois cristais líquidos poliacrilatos, de cadeia lateral contendo o sistema bifenil-fenila como unidade central são descritos. A cadeia terminal é derivada da L-isoleucina. Em cada caso, o espaçador undecila foi utilizado para conectar o grupo mesogênico e a cadeia polimérica. Ambos os polímeros apresentaram mesofase esmética A. Encontrou-se uma dependência entre as propriedades transicionais e parâmetros estruturais, tais como, flexibilidade da cadeia polimérica e conectividade da cadeia terminal quiral.

The synthesis and characterization of two chiral side-chain liquid crystal based on polyacrylates having a biphenyl-phenyl system as a core unit are described. The chiral terminal chain is derived from L-isoleucine. In each case an undecyl spacer was used to connect the mesogenic group to the backbone. Smectic A phase was found for both polymers. The transitional properties were dependent on structural parameters such as backbone flexibility and chiral terminal chain connectivity.

A síntese e o comportamento mesomórfico de dois poliacrilatos quirais líquido cristalinos com cadeia lateral derivados do (S)-(-)-2-metil-1-butanol são descritos. Estes novos poliacrilatos quirais mostram dependência das temperaturas de transição de fase com a massa molar e o comprimento do espaçador. O poliacrilato contendo quatro unidades metilênicas no espaçador mostra fase nemática quiral, enquanto que o poliacrilato com espaçador contendo onze unidades metilênicas mostra fase esmética. Além disto, a fase nemática quiral foi encontrada para massa molar menor e fase esmética para massa molar maior. Experimentos de espalhamento de luz foram realizados em soluções diluídas do poliacrilato contendo onze unidades metilênicas em tetrahidrofurano e diclorometano. Valores de massa molar ponderal média, raio de giro e o segundo coeficiente virial foram determinados através de espalhamento de luz estático, enquanto que o coeficiente de difusão e o raio hidrodinâmico foram obtidos por espectroscopia de correlação de fótons. Uma comparação entre as técnicas indica que o comportamento da cadeia é típico de cadeia linear polidispersa em bom solvente.

The synthesis and mesomorphic behavior of two chiral side chain liquid crystalline polyacrylates from (S)-(-)-2-methyl-1-butanol are described. These new polyacrylates show a dependence of the phase transition temperatures on both, molecular weight and spacer length. The polyacrylate with four methylene units in the spacer exhibits a chiral nematic phase whereas the polyacrylate with a spacer containing eleven methylene units presents a smectic phase. In addition, the chiral nematic phase appears for low molecular weight and smectic phase for high molecular weight polyacrylates. Light scattering experiments were performed in dilute solutions of the polyacrylate containing eleven methylene units in tetrahydrofuran and dichloromethane. Values for weight averaged molecular weight, radius of gyration and second virial coefficient were determined by static light scattering whereas the diffusion coefficient and the hydrodynamic radius of the chains were obtained by photon correlation spectroscopy. A comparison between both techniques indicates that the chain behavior can be taken as typical for a polydisperse linear chain in a good solvent.