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Microbial Gums: Introducing a Novel Functional Component of Edible Coatings and Packaging Publisher Pubmed



Alizadehsani M1, 2 ; Ehsani A3 ; Moghaddas Kia E4 ; Khezerlou A2
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Department of Food Safety and Hygiene, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Students Research Committee, Department of Food Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  3. 3. Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Golgasht Ave., Attar-Neishaboori St., Tabriz, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Food Science and Technology, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, North Moallem St., Maragheh, Iran

Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Published:2019


Abstract

In recent years, the accumulation of synthetic plastics has led to the development of a serious environmental problem. Nowadays, biodegradable films and coatings have been identified as a new approach to solve this problem by preparing renewable, abundant, low-cost materials. Gums are considered a large group of polysaccharides and polysaccharide derivatives that can easily form viscous solutions at low concentrations. Gums are mainly soluble in water and are composed of sugars like glucose, fructose, and mannose. These compounds are categorized into three groups: plant-origin gums, seaweed-based gums, and microbial gums. Microbial gums are listed as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration and have a broad range of physicochemical properties suitable for various pharmacy, medicine, and food applications. In the food industry, they can be used as gelling, viscous, stabilizing, and thickening agents. Among the various materials that can potentially improve the properties of biodegradable packaging films, microbial gums such as gellan, xanthan, pullulan, bacterial cellulose, and curdlan have been the subject of numerous studies. These gums can be extruded into films and coatings with considerable barrier properties against the transport of moisture and oxygen. Microbial gums, due to their microbiological stability, adhesion, cohesion, wettability, solubility, transparency, and mechanical properties, can be used as edible films or coatings. Also, these gums can be applied in combination with bioactive compounds that induce the shelf-life extension of highly perishable products. This review focuses on the properties of films and coatings consisting of xanthan, curdlan, pullulan, gellan, and bacterial cellulose. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
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