Pullulan Processing, Properties, and Applications

Pullulan is a polysaccharide produced by the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans and possesses some distinct properties such as excellent transparent film–forming ability, moisture absorptivity, water solubility, non-toxicity, and adhesivity. These properties allow pullulan to find potential applications in various industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, and health care. This book presents the chemistry and properties of pullulan, along with the method of its production at the laboratory level. It discusses the structural engineering, processing methods, and versatile applications of pullulan, as well as highlights the challenges that still have to be overcome for its large-scale production. This unique book comprehensively summarizes many of the recent research findings on pullulan, contributed by leading experts in this research domain. It is a useful reference book for scientists, academicians, researchers, chemists, technologists, graduate and postgraduate students, and general readers who are interested in pullulan.

1. Polysaccharides: An Overview 2. Pullulan: Recent Progress and Technological Prospects 3. Synthesis of Pullulan 4. Factors Affecting Pullulan Production 5. Pullulan: Properties and Applications 6. Functional Characteristics of Pullulan: An Overview of Its Physicochemical and Physiological Properties 7. Pullulan-Degrading Enzymes and Their Biochemical Features 8. Microbial Pullulan: Properties, Bioprocess Engineering, and Applications 9. Transformation of an Aureobasidium Pullulan Synthetase Gene into Saccharomyces cerevisiae 10. Role of Pullulans in Cosmetics 11. Biomedical Applications of Pullulan

Shakeel Ahmed is an assistant professor of chemistry at Higher Education Department, Jammu and Kashmir, India, and Government Degree College Mendhar, Jammu and Kashmir. He obtained a first degree in general science from Government Postgraduate College (University of Jammu), Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, followed by a master’s degree and a doctorate in chemistry from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He gained postdoctoral experience on biocomposite materials at the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, USA; the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK; the International Association of Advanced Materials, Sweden; and the Asian Polymer Association and Society of Materials Chemistry, India. He has authored or co-authored 15 books on nanomaterials and green materials. Aisverya Soundararajan has been an assistant professor at Auxilium College, Thiruvalluvar University, Tamil Nadu, India. She received her PhD in 2016 from Thiruvalluvar University. Her research areas are polymer chemistry, nanotechnology, analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry, and polymeric biomedical applications. She has authored or co-authored chapters in books of international repute and research papers in several peer-reviewed international journals.