Dynamics of hydrated starch saccharides

We report here elastic neutron scattering data on glucose and on two of its polymeric forms: amylose and amylopectin. We have covered the hydration range from the dry state to about 0.6 g water/g dry saccharide. The data indicate, in all the analysed systems, the presence of a dynamic glass-like transition similar to that observed in hydrated proteins. The fact that this feature is observed also in a relatively small molecule like glucose confirms the hypothesis already put forward by other authors, that this transition in biomolecular species is essentially triggered and driven by the interaction of the macromolecule with the network of fluctuating H-bond of the solvent. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.