A protocol has been developed to fractionate sugar beet pectin using hydrophobic affinity chromatography. Three samples eluted from the column using 4 M NaCl as solvent (fractions 1A, 1B, and 1C), two fractions eluted using 2 M NaCl (fractions 2A and 2B), and one fraction eluted using water (fraction 3). The fractions were shown to be very polydisperse, and differences between the GPC refractive index and UV absorbance (214 nm) elution profiles demonstrated chemical heterogeneity. They were found to contain significantly different proportions of protein (1A, 2.79%; 1B, 0.97%; 1C, 0.77%; 2A, 1.41%; 2B, 5.09%; and 3, 5.89%) and ferulic acid (approximately 1A, 0.5%; 1B, 0.5%; 1C, 0.9%; 2B, 1.5%; and 3, 2%). The weight-average molecular mass, M(w), of the fractions also varied (1A, 153 kDa; 1B, 155 kDa; 1C, 306 kDa; 2A, 562 kDa; 2B, 470 kDa; 3, 282 kDa). Three fractions, that is, 1A, 1B, and 3, produced orange oil emulsions with a relatively small droplet size that were stable over a period of weeks. The other three fractions (1C, 2A, and 2B with higher M(w) values) produced emulsions with an initially larger droplet size, and the droplet size increased considerably over time. The increased droplet size may be influenced by the viscosity of the aqueous continuous phase. There was no simple relationship between protein or ferulic acid content and emulsification ability. For example, fraction 1B, which contained the lowest proportion of both protein and ferulic acid, produced stable emulsions of similar droplet size to fraction 3, which contained the largest proportion of protein and ferulic acid. The role of protein in the emulsification process was investigated by measuring the amount of protein in the aqueous phase before and after emulsification. It was clearly demonstrated that proteinaceous material adsorbed at the oil-water interface. It is evident that the emulsification properties of sugar beet pectin are influenced by the accessibility of the protein and ferulic acid groups to the surface of the oil droplets, the proportion of ester groups, and the molecular mass distribution of the fractions.

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HbA1c was measured in 3240 healthy non-diabetic adult individuals in a working population. There was no difference in HbA1c between sexes. The distribution of HbA1c was approximately normal with a slight difference between mean and median values at all ages in both sexes. HbA1c increased with deterioration of glucose tolerance and with all the known risk factors for diabetes (age, obesity, family history of diabetes, history of a large newborn delivery); age but not body mass index appeared as a factor influencing HbA1c independently. In women, HbA1c levels rose particularly at the age of menopause but the use of oral contraceptives or oestrogens made no difference. In both sexes, HbA1c was higher in smokers than in non-smokers. No consistent seasonal variation was observed. Haematologic factors had a negligible influence on HbA1c level. HbA1c was more highly correlated with fasting plasma glucose than with 2 h-plasma/glucose (r = 0.20 vs 0.11). In a stepwise multiple regression analysis, age followed by fasting plasma glucose were the only two significant factors associated with the level of HbA1c. These data indicate that HbA1c is influenced only by factors closely linked to diabetes.

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Nanofibers of natural tree polysaccharides based on three gums namely Arabic (GA), karaya (GK) and kondagogu (KG) have been prepared for the first time using electrospinning. Electrospinning solutions were prepared by mixing gum solutions of GA, GK & KG with eco-friendly polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polyethylene oxide (PEO). The present study focuses on the effect of electrospinning blended solutions of GA, GK or KG with PVA or PEO, additives which influence system parameters and process parameters. This has important effects on the electrospinning process and the resulting fibers whose morphology and physicochemical properties were evaluated. The mass ratios of 70:30 to 90:10 for PVA: GA, PVA: GK and PVA: KG were observed to establish an optimum blend solution ratio in order to fabricate uniform beadless nanofibers with an average diameter of 240±50, 220±40 and 210±30nm, respectively. Various structural and physicochemical properties of the electrospun fibers were investigated. Furthermore, the comparisons of various functionalities of the untreated and plasma treated electrospun fibers were assessed. The methane plasma treated nanofibers were shown to be of extremely specific surface area, improved water contact angle, high surface porosity and roughness and superior hydrophobic properties compared to untreated fibers.