Carbohydrates -: All dried up

An investigation of the holes in the different structural forms of the sugar to provide bioprotection was carried out. Trehalose, a disaccharide sugar formed from two glucose units, is used by some plant and animal cells to survive under extreme conditions of dehydration. Some microorganisms generate their own trehalose when they begin to desiccate, but the protective capabilities of the sugar can also be induced through its artificial addition. Trehalose slows down the growth of biomolecules encapsulated in the sugar matrix in the bioprotection process. It was found that the structures and free volumes present in the trehalose under bioprotectant conditions affects the movement of water. The measurements of the free volumes of trehalose depicts that water inclusion increases the average intermolecular hole size. Thus, trehalose polymerization and the formation of a water-immobilizing crystalline-glassy nanocomposite phase of crystallites in the amorphous matrix help in the survival of biological functions by dehydration.