The pectic polysaccharides extracted from flaxseed (Linum usitatissiumum L.) mucilage and kernel were characterized as rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I). In this study, the conformational characteristics of RG-I fractions from flaxseed mucilage and kernel were investigated, using a Brookhaven multi-angle light scattering instrument (batch mode) and a high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) system coupled with Viscotek tetra-detectors (flow mode). The Mw of flaxseed mucilage RG-I (FM-R) was 285 kDa, and the structure-sensitive parameter (ρ) value of FM-R was calculated as 1.3, suggesting that the FM-R molecule had a star-like conformation. The Mw of flaxseed kernel RG-I (FK-R) was 550 kDa, and the structure-sensitive parameter (ρ) values ranged from 0.90 to 1.21, suggesting a sphere to star-like conformation with relatively higher segment density. The correlation between the primary structure and conformation of RG-I was further discussed to better understand the structure–function relationship, which helps the scale-up applications of pectins in food, pharmaceutical, or cosmetic industries.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.