Enzymatic engineering of hemicellulose hydrogels

In this project we will engineer hemicellulose hydrogels using a wide range of enzymes, from oxidative laccases that introduce crosslinking to specific hydrolases that cleave selectively side chains from the hemicelluloses. We expect that the enzymatic treatments will modulate the network interactions in the hydrogels and the rheological properties. We will investigate the morphology and structure of the hydrogels by a combination of biochemical microscopy and X-ray scattering techniques.