NMR, NIR, and Infrared Spectroscopy of Carbohydrate-Protein Interactions and Glycoproteins

A review of selected data sets for carbohydrate proteins interactions and glycoproteins is presented together with authors' results from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared (NIR and mid-IR) spectroscopy, as well as chemical imaging (micro-spectroscopy) experiments. Previous reports by X-ray, neutron and electron diffraction are also considered in this context, and are combined with high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and relaxation data for glycoproteins in solution and in biomembranes. High-resolution NMR and transverse relaxation results are then presented for wheat gliadin interactions with sucrose in aqueous solutions, as well as wheat gluten--glucomannan interactions in hydrated gels that are relevant to food physical chemistry and novel food formulations for products with increased stability and shelf-life. NMRI and FT-NIR microspectroscopy data are reported also for intact, hydrated seeds that contain proteins and carbohydrates as their major components.