Isolation and viscometric characterization of hydrocolloids from mulberry (Morus alba L.) leaves

Hydrocolloid in mulberry leaves was extracted with water or sodium bicarbonate, and characterized rheologically in a highly dilute to a semi-dilute regime. Mulberry leaf hydrocolloid was composed of mainly carbohydrate with high levels of uronic acid. The hydrodynamic behavior of mulberry leaf hydrocolloid in deionized water demonstrated a typical polyelectrolyte behavior in the dilute domain, as indicated by a nonlinear Hugginsʹ plot. Intrinsic viscosity value for alkaline-extracted (Alk) and water-extracted (Hw) hydrocolloid was around 7.25 dL/g and 3.61 dL/g, respectively. The specific viscosity versus concentration plot for both Alk and Hw exhibited a power-law dependence on concentration, with an onset of molecular entanglement occurring at a concentration of around 0.6 g/dL and 1.8 g/dL, respectively. Coil-overlap parameter for Alk and Hw was in the range of 4.35–6.61. The relative chain stiffness parameter (B) for Alk and Hw was in the range of 0.004–0.013, indicating a stiff backbone.