Effect of water activity on the mechanical glass transition and dynamical transition of bacteria-solute systems

Kawai, Kiyoshi*; Sogabe, Tomochika*; Nakagawa, Hiroshi   ; Yamada, Takeshi*; Koseki, Shigenobu*

The purpose of this study was to clarify effect of glycerol and glucose on the mechanical glass transition and dynamical transition of freeze-dried bacteria at various water activity (aw)-conditions. From the water sorption isotherm, it was noted that the water content at each aw and monolayer water content were higher in the order of glycerol, glucose, non-added samples. Effect of temperature on the mean square displacement (MSD) of atoms in the samples was investigated by incoherent elastic neutron scattering. The MSD increased gradually with an increase in temperature depending on the aw and added solute. From the linear fitting, three dynamical transition temperatures (low-, middle- and high-Tds) were determined. The Couchman-Karasz model suggested that the added solute and bacteria were not completely miscible.