Some properties of ruredzo (Dicerocaryum zanguebarium) mucilage crosslinked with epichlorohydrin

The yield of crosslinked mucilage (CLM) prepared from ruredzo mucilage, using epichlorohydrin as the crosslinking agent, decreased by about 10% when the concentration of ethanol was reduced from 96 to 40%. CLM prepared at low concentration of mucilage was more swellable than CLM prepared from mucilage at higher concentrations. The CLM was insensitive to the presence of NaCl but the bed volume was reduced in the presence of ethanol. Bed volume was lower at low pH than at high pH. When CLM was incubated with Pectinex, practically no change was observed in bed volume but arabinose and mannose were detected in the liquid overlying the treated CLM. Galactose and arabinose, which are the main components of ruredzo mucilage, were not released during incubation of the crosslinked mucilage with Pectinex.