What is pullulan ？
Pullulan is a microbial polysaccharide produced by fermentation of Aureobasidium pullulans. It was first discovered by R. Bauer in 1938. This polysaccharide is a linear polysaccharide composed of repeating units of maltotriose linked by α-1,4 glycosidic bonds and polymerized by α-1,6 glycosidic bonds, with a molecular weight between 20,000 and 2 million. Pullulan has an elastic structure, high solubility, film-forming, gas barrier, plasticity, viscosity and other properties, and is easily soluble in water, non-toxic, harmless, colorless and tasteless. These properties make pullulan widely used in the fields of medicine, food, light industry, chemical industry and petroleum.
Application areas of pullulan include:
Food and related industries: Due to its safety and edibility, pullulan is used as an additive and packaging material in the food industry.
Pharmaceutical industry: Pullulan is used in drug sustained-release and controlled-release systems, as well as as a drug carrier.
Cosmetic industry: Due to its good biocompatibility and non-toxicity, pullulan is used in cosmetics to provide protection and moisturizing effects.
Biomedical field: Pullulan is used in biomedical fields such as tissue engineering and wound dressings.
Environmental remediation: Pullulan can be applied to waste treatment and environmental protection.
Analytical technology, electronics industry, energy production: Pullulan is also used in these high-tech fields.
In addition, the chemical modification of pullulan can expand its application range, such as grafted pullulan, polymer blends, nanocomposites and hydrogels obtained by chemical modification, which provide more possibilities for the application of pullulan.
In general, pullulan is a versatile biopolymer with broad application prospects, especially in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
Pullulan is widely used in the food industry, mainly taking advantage of its unique physical and chemical properties, such as water solubility, film-forming properties, biodegradability and biocompatibility. Here are some specific application examples:
Food packaging: Pullulan is used to make food packaging materials, especially edible packaging. These packaging materials not only have high strength and excellent gas and oil barriers, but can also be eaten directly, providing a convenient and environmentally friendly solution.
Candy and bakery products: Pullulan is used as an additive in candy and bakery products to improve the taste, texture and appearance of the products. For example, it can be used to make chewing gum, soft candy and hard candy to enhance their taste and elasticity.
Beverage industry: In beer and carbonated beverages, pullulan helps to produce delicate and long-lasting foam, improving the overall texture of the product.
Baking, candy and ice cream decoration: The film made of pullulan is colorless and odorless, oil-resistant and not easy to get wet, and dissolves in the mouth. It is suitable for the surface decoration of baked products, candy and ice cream.
Meat products: Pullulan is used for preservation and color protection in meat products. Through its film-forming properties and the gas barrier properties of the film, it can improve the appearance of meat products and extend their shelf life.
Tableting and coating: Pullulan is used in the pharmaceutical industry to make tablets and as a coating agent to improve the appearance integrity and brightness of the product while enhancing mechanical strength.
These applications demonstrate the versatility and efficiency of pullulan in the food industry, especially in improving food quality, extending shelf life and providing environmentally friendly packaging solutions.
Pullulan has a wide range of applications in the medical field. Here are some of its specific applications:
Capsules: Pullulan is an ideal material for making capsules because it has good film-forming properties, solubility and stability. It is often used to prepare enteric-coated capsules, which can remain intact in the stomach acid environment and dissolve only after reaching the intestines, thereby protecting the drug ingredients.
Controlled release system: Pullulan can be used to prepare controlled release drug delivery systems to improve the efficacy and safety of drugs by regulating the release rate of drugs.
Wound dressings: Pullulan films can be used as wound dressings because of their good biocompatibility and breathability, which helps wound healing.
Tissue engineering: In tissue engineering, pullulan can be used as a scaffold material to help cell growth and tissue regeneration.
Drug carrier: Pullulan can be used as a carrier for nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery and improve the effectiveness of drug treatment.
Bioadhesives: Due to its good viscosity and biocompatibility, pullulan can also be used in bioadhesives for surgery and wound closure.
These medical applications of pullulan benefit from its excellent biocompatibility, non-toxicity, degradability and easy processing. With the development of biomaterials science, the application of pullulan in the medical field may be further expanded.
Pullulan is widely used in the cosmetics field, mainly taking advantage of its excellent properties such as water solubility, film-forming property, hygroscopicity, and non-toxicity. Here are some specific application examples:
Powder, shampoo, lotion, mask, skin protectant, hair fixative: Pullulan can be used as an ingredient in these cosmetics to provide functions such as viscous filler, lubricant, antioxidant, moisturizer and film-forming additive.
As a potential carrier of active ingredients: Pullulan can be used as a carrier of active ingredients to help the ingredients be effectively delivered to the skin layer for cosmeceutical applications.
Cosmeceutical formulations: Pullulan is widely used in cosmeceutical formulations such as creams, shampoos, lotions, sunscreens, masks, etc. In these applications, the properties of pullulan can enhance the texture and effect of the product.
These applications of pullulan reflect its versatility and efficiency in the cosmetics industry, especially in enhancing product texture, moisturizing and providing safe and harmless solutions.
We have exported to multiple countries such as Italy and the Middle East
