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Xanthan gum: A versatile biopolymer for biomedical and technological applications
Author(s) -
Petri Denise F. S.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.42035
Subject(s) - xanthan gum , biopolymer , polymer , self healing hydrogels , chemical engineering , xanthomonas campestris , ionic strength , materials science , emulsion , thermal stability , chemistry , rheology , polymer chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , aqueous solution , biochemistry , gene , engineering
Xanthan gum is an extracellular polymer produced mainly by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris . Traditionally it plays an important role in industrial applications as thickener, emulsion stabilizer and it has been added to water‐based drilling fluids due to its pseudoplastic behavior and thermal stability. The structural properties of xanthan in solution can be tuned by the temperature and ionic strength; under high ionic strength or low temperature, xanthan chains are arranged in helical conformation, whereas under low ionic strength or high temperature, xanthan chains are coiled. Xanthan high molecular weight favors the building up of physical and chemical networks, which have been used as carriers for drugs and proteins and as scaffolds for cells. In combination with other polymers xanthan has been applied as excipient in tablets or as supporting hydrogels for drug release applications, particularly due to its acid resistance. The large versatility of xanthan gum opens the possibility for the creation of new architectures and additional applications involving this fascinating polymer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132 , 42035.