Micro-heterogeneity of cellulosic fiber biopolymer prepared from corn hulls

Z-trim is a zero calorie cellulosic fiber biopolymer produced from corn hulls. The micro-structural heterogeneities of Z-trim biopolymer were investigated by monitoring the thermally driven displacements of well-dispersed micro-spheres via video fluorescence microscopy named multiple-particle tracking (MPT). By comparing the distribution of the time-dependent mean-square displacement (MSD) of polystyrene micro-spheres embedded in three concentrations of Z-trim, we found that the degree of heterogeneity of the suspensions increased dramatically within a narrow range of concentrations. The ensemble-averaged MSD of 0.5 g/100 g Z-trim biopolymer exhibited a power-law behavior that scaled log-linearly with time lag. This behavior was similar to that of homogeneous aqueous glycerol solution. But the MSD distribution for Z-trim was wider and more asymmetric than for glycerol. Increasing Z-trim concentration caused more deviation of micro-spheres colloidal dispersion from homogeneity as detected by the MPT.