Description
Book SynopsisComplex carbohydrates such as high molecular weight polysaccharides like starch and cellulose, are well known for their importance in foodstuffs, paper and wood, but their importance extends far beyond that into the biopharmaceutical, healthcare, oil and printing industries. This book, based on a discussion meeting organised by RSC Biotechnology and Carbohydrate Groups, brings together leading experts from the polysaccharide and glycoconjugate communities to review, discuss and assess in detail one specific topic, namely the importance of the stability and degradation of carbohydrate structures. Coverage includes applications as diverse as food, biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, biofuels and preservation of Viking boats. Providing essential reading for anyone interested in these structures and the diversity of their applications, it will appeal to a broad, multidisciplinary group from industry, academia and research institutions.
Table of ContentsCarbohydrates: First cousins of Water; Enzymic degradation of cell wall polysaccharides; Dietary Fibre: Functional Components and Mechanisms of Action in the Gastrointestinal Tract; Enzymatic treatment of polysaccharides; Stability of polysaccharide encapsulates; Polysaccharide and glycoconjugate vaccines; Mucin turnover; Some advances in hydrodynamic stability probes; Stability of chitosan and pectin as nasal and intestinal mucoadhesives; Cellulose crystallinity: perspectives from spectroscopy and diffraction; Cellulose; Cellulose de-construction: what can be learned from molecular modeling and dissolution experiments?; Lignin; Observations on bacterial degradation of historical wood timbers found in near anaerobic waterlogged environments; Subject Index
