Kinetics of antifreeze protein-induced ice growth inhibition

Abstract

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) depress the freezing temperature of a solution in a non-colligative manner, by arresting the growth of ice crystals. The kinetics of this effect, studied here for the first time using a new technique called temperature gradient thermometry, are consistent with an adsorption-mediated inhibitory mechanism. The results obtained by this approach provide a new experimental basis for understanding AFP interaction with ice.