Effect of the ratio of water to rice on the molecular dynamics of cooked rice starch during retrogradation; Implications for amorphous structure in gelatinized state

Hirata, Yoshinobu*; Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Yamauchi, Hiroki; Kaneko, Koji; Hagihara, Masato; Yamaguchi, Hideyuki*; Imaizumi, Teppei*; Nishizu, Takahisa*

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 306, p.141668_1 - 141668_7, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.141668

We used quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) to investigate the effect of the ratio of water to rice on the molecular dynamics of cooked rice starch during retrogradation. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetric measurements revealed that the degree of recrystallization and change in enthalpy were smaller with an increase in the amount of water added for cooking rice, whereas little difference in the crystallinity of the gelatinized rice starch was detected. The QENS measurements determined that the elastic incoherent structure factor (EISF) values of gelatinized samples were smaller with an increase in the amount of water added for cooking rice, indicating that the molecular dynamics of gelatinized rice starch with higher added water content were spatially more extended.

Effect of starch retrogradation on molecular dynamics of cooked rice by quasi-elastic neutron scattering

Hirata, Yoshinobu*; Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Yamauchi, Hiroki; Kaneko, Koji; Hagihara, Masato; Yamaguchi, Hideyuki*; Omoto, Chie*; Katsuno, Nakako*; Imaizumi, Teppei*; Nishizu, Takahisa*

Food Hydrocolloids, 141, p.108728_1 - 108728_7, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2023.108728

Crystallinity is reflected in the mechanical properties of foods and materials. Crystallinity should be related to the structural dynamics of starch. In this study, we used quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) to investigate changes in the molecular dynamics of cooked rice starch during retrogradation. The width of the measured QENS narrowed with retrogradation. The elastic incoherent structure factor (EISF) increased, which indicated that the molecular dynamics are spatially suppressed upon retrogradation. Analysis of EISF with a bimodal continuous diffusion model, where low and high mobilities are assumed to correspond to crystalline and amorphous phases, respectively, showed that the fraction of the low-mobility component increases with retrogradation.

Sample environment at the J-PARC MLF

Kawamura, Seiko; Oku, Takayuki; Watanabe, Masao; Takahashi, Ryuta; Munakata, Koji*; Takata, Shinichi; Sakaguchi, Yoshifumi*; Ishikado, Motoyuki*; Ouchi, Keiichi*; Hattori, Takanori; et al.

Journal of Neutron Research, 19(1-2), p.15 - 22, 2017/11

https://doi.org/10.3233/JNR-170046

Sample environment (SE) team at the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) in J-PARC has worked on development and operation of SE equipment and devices. All the members belong to one sub-team at least, such as Cryogenic and magnet, High temperature, High pressure, Soft matter and special environment including Pulse magnet, Hydrogen environment, Light irradiation and He spin filter. Cryostats, a magnet, furnaces, a VX-6-type Paris-Edinburgh press and a prototype of a Spin-Exchange Optical Pumping (SEOP) based He spin filter for polarized neutron beam experiments are in operation. Furthermore, a prototype of compact power supply for a pulsed magnet system is currently developed. In the J-PARC Research Building, several pieces of equipment for softmatter research such as a rheometer and a gas and vapor adsorption measurement instrument have been prepared.

Neutron diffraction of ice and water in hydrogels

Sekine, Yurina; Kobayashi, Riki*; Chi, S.*; Fernandez-Baca, J. A.*; Suzuya, Kentaro; Fujisaki, Fumika*; Ikeda, Kazutaka*; Otomo, Toshiya*; Fukazawa, Tomoko*; Yamauchi, Hiroki; et al.

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 8, p.033009_1 - 033009_6, 2015/09

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSCP.8.033009

Neutron diffraction profiles of low-DO-content poly-N,N,-dimethylacrylamide (PDMAA) hydrogels were measured from 100 to 300 K to investigate the structure and properties of water in hydrogels. A broad diffraction observed at temperatures lower than 220 K indicates the existence of amorphous ice in the hydrogels at low temperatures. During the heating process, diffraction peaks from ice crystals appear in the profiles. These peaks indicate that cubic ice and hexagonal ice exist at T 220 K. We refined the structure parameters of these ices in the hydrogel, which indicate the existence of low-density ice in the hydrogel.

Neutron diffraction of ice in hydrogels

Sekine, Yurina; Fukazawa, Tomoko*; Aizawa, Mamoru*; Kobayashi, Riki*; Chi, S.*; Fernandez-Baca, J. A.*; Yamauchi, Hiroki; Fukazawa, Hiroshi

Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 118(47), p.13453 - 13457, 2014/08

https://doi.org/10.1021/jp508269b

Neutron diffraction patterns for deuterated poly-,,-dimethylacrylamide (PDMAA) hydrogels were measured from 10 to 300 K to investigate the structure and properties of water in the gels. Diffraction peaks observed below 250 K indicate the existence of ice in the hydrogels. Some diffraction peaks from the ice are at lower diffraction angles than those in ordinary hexagonal ice (Ih). These shifts in peaks indicate that the lattice constants of the and axes in the ice are about 0.29% and 0.3% higher than those in ice Ih, respectively. The results show that bulk low-density ice can exist in PDMAA hydrogels. The distortions in the lattice structure of ice imply significant interactions between water molecules and the surrounding polymer chains, which play an important role in the chemical and mechanical properties of the hydrogel.

Effect of neutron moderator on protected plutonium production in fast breeder reactor blanket

Matsumoto, Koji*; Sagara, Hiroshi*; Han, C. Y.*; Onishi, Takashi; Saito, Masaki*; Yamauchi, Ippei*

Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, 107(1), p.1018 - 1019, 2012/11

Protected plutonium production (P) with a high proliferation-resistance was proposed by increasing the Pu ratio in the total plutonium through minor actinides (MAs) doping into the fresh blanket fuel. Moderator effect on P was evaluated. As a result, the transmutation ratio is larger with the heterogeneous moderator than with the homogeneous one, and the isotopic ratio of Pu was increased.

Crystal structure and nuclear density distribution of LiCoNiMnO analyzed by Rietveld/maximum entropy method

Igawa, Naoki; Taguchi, Tomitsugu; Fukazawa, Hiroshi; Yamauchi, Hiroki; Utsumi, Wataru

Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 93(8), p.2144 - 2146, 2010/08

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1551-2916.2010.03688.x

The neutron powder diffraction measurement of LiCoNiMnO was carried out and the crystal structure and scattering density distribution were analyzed by Rietveld refinement and the maximum entropy method to estimate the Li diffusing pathway. Rietveld refinement showed that the structure was basically the same as LiCoO: a -3 space group, with Li and O mainly occupying the 3 and 6 sites, and Co, Ni and Mn randomly occupying the 3 site. Approximately 4% of the Li and Ni atoms exchanged their original sites (3 and 3) to occupy 3 and 3, respectively. Based on maximum entropy method analyses, we surmise that Li atoms moved on the (001), (003) and (00-3) planes and diffused through the 3-9-3 sites on those planes.

Development of asymmetric reflection-type germanium monochromator for neutron beam enhancement

Yamauchi, Hiroki; Ishii, Yoshinobu*; Igawa, Naoki; Fukazawa, Hiroshi; Utsumi, Wataru

JAEA-Research 2008-077, 28 Pages, 2008/10

JAEA-Research-2008-077.pdf:24.52MB

The neutron powder diffractometer, HRPD, can provide high-resolution data that meet the many users' needs until now. On the other hand, the demand of high-efficiency is growing in the recent years. In order to improve the source intensity and measurement efficiency, the authors tried to develop asymmetric reflection-type Ge monochromators. The mosaic crystals (20 in the horizontal direction) were cut at an angle of 40 relative to the Ge,3,3,1 reflecting planes. The diffraction results of standard Si samples reveal that peak intensities by the asymmetric type are improved 1.2 times larger than those by the existing symmetric type, but integrated intensities are almost comparable each other. For mosaic crystals, asymmetric reflections in compression geometry intensify the current density, but reflectivity is always less than that in symmetric reflections, and thus the suppression of the reflectivity just cancels out the enhancement of the current density.

Variation in groundwater levels, pore pressures and crustal strain related to earthquakes in the upper granite and sedimentary formations in the area of western Tono, Japan

Azuma, Shunichi*; Ishii, Hiroshi*; Asai, Yasuhiro*; Kitagawa, Yuichi*; Wakita, Hiroshi*; Yamauchi, Tsuneo*; Asamori, Koichi

Geodynamics of Atotsugawa Fault System, p.173 - 179, 2007/00

no abstracts in English

Deuteron ordering in ice containing impurities; A Neutron diffraction study

Fukazawa, Hiroshi; Hoshikawa, Akinori; Yamauchi, Hiroki; Yamaguchi, Yasuo*; Igawa, Naoki; Ishii, Yoshinobu

Physica B; Condensed Matter, 385-386(1), p.113 - 115, 2006/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2006.05.177

We measured neutron diffraction of powdered samples of ice containing impurities (e.g., potassium deuteroxide, sodium deuteroxide) to analyze the formation of ice XI, a deuterium-ordered phase of ice, from ice Ih, a disordered phase. We found that the diffraction profiles changed with time for several days at 62-70 K, which are below the transition temperature = 76 K. From the Rietveld analysis of the diffraction profiles, we determined the change of the structural parameters with the phase transition. The structural analysis provides direct evidence for the existence of deuteron-ordered arrangements in ice containing impurities below . On the basis of the Rietveld analysis, we obtained the mass fraction () of ice XI as functions of time and temperature. We report a structural observation for the nucleation and growth of ice XI under various conditions (such as temperature variations and impurity effects), which leads to understand whether or not f reaches unity at an infinite annealing time.