The Effects of EB Irradiation to the Properties of Xanthan at Dry

Irradiation induced chain scission is a useful tool to degrade natural polysaccharides into smaller fragments or even produce oligo-saccharides that have improved bioactivities. However, most studies have used gamma radiation. In this study, the xanthan solutions were EB (electron beam) irradiated to provide a better understanding of the effects of radiation dose on the properties of xanthan. Results showed the viscosity and molecular weight of xanthan significantly decreased by EB irradiation, and the reductions increased with the increasing of radiation dose. EB irradiation seemed not to introduce the changes in xanthan structure through UV and FT-IR spectra revealed the absorption peaks corresponding to the carbonyl group increased with radiation dose due to the formation of C=O double bonds during radiation degradation. (author)