Revealing the mechanisms of hydrogel formation by laccase crosslinking and regeneration of feruloylated arabinoxylan from wheat bran

Feruloylated arabinoxylan (FAX) from cereal brans has large potential to generate multifunctional materials with customized macromolecular and nanostructural architectures techno-functional properties. Here we investigate the chemical structural mechanisms of hydrogel formation wheat bran FAX following enzymatic crosslinking by laccase a subsequent regeneration procedure involving freeze-drying resuspension crosslinked in different pH buffers, using battery biochemical, rheological physical techniques. The induced conversion ferulic acid units into wide diversity dimeric forms, leading an increased molecular weight closer-packing chains. step resulted remarkable increase viscosity viscoelasticity for all tested values. amount crystallinity crosslinking, it was however decreased step. characterization revealed that addition covalent crosslinks, influences intermolecular interactions between adjacent domains, forms larger clusters higher dynamic moduli. Our results reveal both influence network multiscale assembly hydrogels, thus modulating their properties fundamental use food biomedical applications.