ARS | Publication request: MODIFICATION OF LESQUERELLA FENDLERI SEED-SURFACE POLYSACCHARIDE

Submitted to: Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: September 19, 1997
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Lesquerella fendleri is a promising new crop with a seed that contains an unsaturated hydroxy fatty acid triglyceride that has many potential commercial applications. In addition to the oil, L. fendleri seed contains a seed-surface polysaccharide (SSP). The oil-extracted seed meal containing the SSP has market potential in industrially proprietary applications. The SSP has adhesive properties that could be exploited industrially. Consequently, much ongoing work on the seed-surface gum has been directed toward isolating gums of consistent quality scaled-up processes. Preliminary structural study of these gums indicated presence of galacturonates which are cross-linked with divalent cations, resulting in only partial solubility of the gum. Our goal in this study was to chemically modify the gum component, imparting industrially desirable properties in the SSP. Such characteristics would enable the development of new value-added products from the gum component of the seed. The derivatization procedures explored include base catalyzed sulfation; etherification through glycidyl ring opening to form quaternary ammonium intermediates; base-catalyzed condensation of the polysaccharide alkoxide species with 2-chloroacetic acid to yield the carboxymethylated derivative; and thermochemical oxidation of gum via hydrogen peroxide/Cu(II)-Fe(II) reaction and NaIO4 oxidation of the gum to the dialdehyde derivative. Changes in the physical properties with these modifications will be detailed.