2.3.3. Physicochemical analyses
The water holding capacity (WHC) analysis of the fibers was
performed according to Fernández-López et al. (2009) with minor
modifications. Thirty milliliters of distilled water was added to 1 g
of the powdered sample. The suspension was homogenized in a
vortex (Quimis, Model Q920-A2, Brazil) for 1 min and left at room
temperature for 24 h. After centrifugation (3000 g for 20 min,
Sigma, model 4K15, England) the supernatant was removed and the
residue weighed. The water retention capacity was expressed in
grams of water per gram of dry sample.