ABSTRACT
Abstract ................................................................................................... 76 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................... 76 3.2 Chemical Structure and Conformation of Xanthan Chains ........... 77 3.3 Strategies for Changing Xanthan Properties Through
Physicochemical Processes ............................................................ 80 3.4 Applications of Xanthan ................................................................ 95 Keywords ................................................................................................ 98 References ............................................................................................... 98
CRISTINA-ELIZA BRUNCHI*, SIMONA MORARIU, and MARIA BERCEA
Department of Electroactive Polymers and Plasmochemistry, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41A Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania
*Corresponding author. E-mail: brunchic@icmpp.ro
ABSTRACT
Xanthan is a polysaccharide produced by the plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. It presents some remarkable properties such as good solubility in hot or cold water, stability over a wide range of temperatures and pH values, thickening properties (giving high viscous solutions even at very low concentrations), the ability to modify the surface activity or the rheological properties of the materials which contain it, etc. These make the use of xanthan interesting in various kinds of systems from food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic formulations to agricultural, textile, ceramic, petroleum industries, etc. The chemical structure (existence of a large number of functional groups on the polymer chain) and helical conformation of xanthan chains (influenced by temperature, ionic strength, and pH changes) are versatile characteristics which can be efficiently exploited in order to create new behaviors of this unique polysaccharide.
