Kinetics of Dextran Degradation
A typical model to describe the changes in molecular weight (Mw) during polymer degradation is shown in eq. (1) 15. Thus, the reaction rate of the hydrolysis of dextran, i.e. the changes in the average Mw of the hydrolyzed dextran, can be described as
\(M_{t}=\frac{M_{o}-M_{\lim}}{e^{kM_{\lim}t}}+M_{\lim}\) (1)
where Mt , Mo , andMlim represent the Mw at any reaction timet , the initial Mw, and the limiting Mw, respectively. k is the rate constant which is calculated using experimental data. The final product of dextranase-catalyzed dextran degradation is isomaltose16, and thus the theoreticalMlim is 342 Da.