Solubilisation of Persian gum: Chemical modification using acrylamide

Persian gum (PG), mountain almond tree (Amygdalus scoparia) exudate, is a transparent and natural edible gum which consists of soluble (SFPG, 25-30 wt%) and insoluble (IFPG, 70-75 wt%) fractions. Therefore, in the present study, using response surface methodology (RSM), the influence of concentration (0.64-7.36 wt%), acrylamide (0.070-0.120 mol), temperature (19.77-70.23 °C), and time (0.32-3.68 h) on solubilizing and some other properties of IFPG were investigated. Based on our findings, the highest solubility (64 wt%) was achieved at the presence of 6 wt% IFPG, and 0.08 mol acrylamide at 60 °C after 3 h. Intrinsic viscosity and molecular weight determination also confirmed modification reaction which led to reduction in molecular weight. In addition, the effect of pH and electrolytes on rheological properties showed that the soluble part of IFPG which modified at optimum conditions had an anionic structure similar to conventional SFPG.