abstract
The chemical composition and the structure of macromolecular components of grape stalks from red grape pomaces have been evaluated. These are composed mainly of cellulose (30.3%), hemicelluloses (21.0%), lignin (17.4%), tannins (15.9%) and proteins (6.1%). Among hemicelluloses the xylan was the most abundant (ca. 12%). The parameters of cellulose unitary cell, average diameter of nanofibrils and the degree of crystallinity (75.4%) were assessed by X-ray scattering analysis. The xylan was partially acetylated glucuronoxylan (DS = 0.49) possessing the Xylp:MeGlcpA ratio of 25:1. The lignin of grape stalks was suggested to be of HGS type with H:G:S molar proportion of 3:71:26 as revealed by analysis of nitrobenzene oxidation products. Among alkali soluble condensed tannins procyanidins prevailed over prodelphinidins. The abnormal response of grape stalks to kraft pulping, leading to poorly delignified fibrous material, was attributed to a particular lignin structure and it structural association with other macromolecular components of grape stalks. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
keywords
MACROMOLECULAR COMPONENTS; ACETYLATED HETEROXYLAN; STRUCTURAL FEATURES; CELLULOSE; PRODUCTS; PORTUGAL; EXTRACTS; RECOVERY; TANNINS; LIGNIN
subject category
Agriculture
authors
Prozil, SO; Evtuguin, DV; Lopes, LPC
our authors
Dmitry Evtyugin
Associate Professor with Aggregationacknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT project PTDC/AGR-AAM/104911/2008) and the Operation Program of Competitive Factors (COMPETE, ref. FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-008734) for the financial support of this work.