Magazù examined the bonds formed between water and all three disaccharides across a range of temperatures by collecting inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectra. The authors describe how the beam of neutrons produced by a specialized spectrometer was used to measure vibration in the bonds formed between the sugars and water molecules.

The data show that trehalose creates a more crystalline formation with neighboring water molecules than that created between water molecules and the two similar disaccharides. “Trehalose modifies the structural and dynamic properties of water, forming a unique entity with water molecules which makes it better able to protect biological structures,” Magazù explained.

It's a nice experiment,’ said Jane Vanderkooi, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania, US. ‘They showed that a trehalosewater complex is more rigid than other sugar complexes. This rigidity would protect against high temperatures. But looking at the water itself, the water molecules next to trehalose are more flexible than bulk water. This would protect biological molecules against cold, because it would be harder to form ice.’ John Bonner stated.

References

S Magazù et al, J. Royal Soc. Interface, (DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2005.0059)