Starch Structures and Physicochemical Properties of a Novel β-glucan enriched Oat Hydrocolloid Product with and without Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction

Starch structures and physicochemical properties of C-trim30, a β-glucan-enriched oat product (32% β-glucan), with or without supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SCD) were studied to evaluate suitability for commercial applications and potential to degrade starch to increase β-glucan concentration. Scanning electron micrographs showed C-trim30 was composed of 200-300 μm long, porous particles. HPSEC equipped with MALLS and RI detectors showed C-trim30 had three peaks, corresponding to amylopectin with weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 1.0x108, breakdown amylopectin product (Mw 1.1x107) and amylose (Mw 1.7x106). β-glucans were not observed due to HPSEC column absorption. C-trim30 amylopectin Mw and gyration radii increased after SCD suggesting aggregation of molecules occurred. No thermal transitions were observed for C-trim30 heated 0-150°C. C-trim30 pasting properties, measured using Rapid ViscoAnalyser, showed high peak viscosity (291 RVU) at 30°C, high breakdown (200 RVU), final (273 RVU) and setback (183 RVU) viscosity after heated to 95°C while stirred. SCD increased peak (423 RVU) and breakdown (318 RVU) viscosity. C-trim30 heated from 15 to 110°C showed higher water-holding capacity occurred without SCD. SCD oil fatty acid composition of 82% unsaturated was apposite for health-food applications. Study suggests C-trim30 with and without SCD could function as fat substitutes

Biotechnology and the Law: A Consideration of Intellectual Property Rights and Related Social Issues

[Excerpt] “Recent advances in biotechnology are expected by many to improve crop yield, reduce reliance on agricultural inputs like pesticides and herbicides, alleviate world hunger, improve the safety and effectiveness of pharmaceuticals, assist in the discovery of genes that trigger diseases like cancer, and make more efficient our legal institutions through DNA testing. Clearly, innovations in biotechnology are a powerful force for social change, and they pose unique challenges and opportunities for legal scholars and institutions. This section of the Pierce Law Review focuses on the interface between law and technology by examining how innovations in biotechnology accelerate debates about social justice (on a global scale), the role of science, and the patenting of intellectual property. Since biotechnology, and the actors involved in the debates over intellectual property rights, are involved in a form of “high drama” that plays itself out in the social world, it is necessary to understand that technology does not exist in a vacuum. All technologies generate social change and affect, in varying degrees individuals, groups, institutions, etc. For example, the introduction of the pen changed how information is recorded. A pen is portable, relatively inexpensive and creates semi-permanent markings. The pen, however, represented a shift away from orality, created a note-taking culture and lessened our reliance on short-term memory. The pen also helped consolidate the power of bureaucracies where a reliance on efficiency and order was paramount. Legal documents are generally signed in ink. The pen plays a prominent role in our society and can be found in almost all institutions, including those where information/communication technology dominate. If these transformations can occur when a relatively simple technology is introduced, what can be said about the introduction of innovations arising from the science of biotechnology