On hydrodynamic methods for the analysis of the sizes and shapes of polysaccharides in dilute solution: a short review

Polysaccharides and their derivatives are increasingly being used by the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries: physical properties like size and conformation are important contributors to their performance. Here the use of hydrodynamic tools such as sedimentation velocity, sedimentation equilibrium, size exclusion chromatography – multi-angle light scattering (SEC-MALS), and viscometry are considered highlighting some recent developments in methodology and the application of these to help better understand polysaccharide structure-function relationships.