{
  "abstract": "Fungal chitin-like exopolysaccharides are promising fermentation-derived materials, however the molecular-level determinants of their salt- and temperature-dependent gel-like behavior remain poorly understood. Here, a previously characterized Mortierella alpina exopolysaccharide was re-examined by integrating oscillatory rheology with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Frequency sweeps across 5-15 mg mL-1, two ionic media (0.154 mol L-1 NaCl and 0.28 mol L-1 LiCl), and 10-60 C were used to map liquid-like, transitional, and elastic-dominated regimes. Increasing concentration strengthened network behavior, but the two salts followed distinct pathways: NaCl promoted a more coherent progression toward elastic dominance and more thermorheologically compatible relaxation behavior, whereas LiCl produced a high-dissipation intermediate regime and stronger temperature dependence. Simulations of a minimal multichain model comprising eight GlcNAc10 oligomers at approximately 15.8 mg mL-1 showed that NaCl favored larger, more compact assemblies despite weak and short-lived Na+-oxygen coordination. LiCl formed sharper, longer-lived first-shell contacts but maintained smaller and more expanded assemblies. Ion-mediated interchain bridges were sparse and transient. The combined results show that local cation binding strength does not directly predict collective network formation and support a dynamic physical-network mechanism governed by salt-specific coupling among hydration, ion exchange, chain packing, and reversible interchain association.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "L. D. Goyzueta-Mamani"
    },
    {
      "name": "H. L. Barazorda-Ccahuana"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. D. Noseda"
    },
    {
      "name": "R. Alves de Freitas"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. R. Soccol"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. C. de Carvalho"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8bzrps6w3xjtb.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.05.749623",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.05.749623v1.full",
  "id": "8bzrps6w3xjtb",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.05.749623v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "biophysics"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1106|Polysaccharides Composition and Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7212254737",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.05.749623v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-05",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8bzrps6w3xjtb.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:09Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.05.749623",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.05.749623v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "biorxiv:biophysics",
      "subfield": "biophysics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Thermorheological mapping and molecular insights into salt-dependent gel-like network formation in Mortierella alpina chitin-like exopolysaccharide solutions",
  "title_text": "Thermorheological mapping and molecular insights into salt-dependent gel-like network formation in Mortierella alpina chitin-like exopolysaccharide solutions",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:21:09Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8bzrps6w3xjtb",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}