Sugar chains (glycans) are often attached to proteins and lipids and have multiple roles in the organization and function of all organisms. "Essentials of Glycobiology" describes their biogenesis and function and offers a useful gateway to the understanding of glycans.

Polysaccharides provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of the chemistry of polysaccharides. This book discusses the methods used for the isolation, purification, and structural determination of the various types of polysaccharide. Organized into 14 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the almost universal occurrence of natural macromolecules in living organisms where they form a variety of functions. This text then examines the isolation of polysaccharides, which involves solubilization in aqueous solvents or in dipolar aprotic solvents. Other chapters consider the industrial applications of polysaccharides and of their derivatives. This book discusses as well the procedure for the isolation of wood polysaccharides, which involves the preparation of a holocellulose by the selective solubilization of the lignin. The final chapter deals with the classes of complex natural polymers in which the nature of the linkage of sugar units to other structural units have been established. This book is a valuable resource for biologists.

Sugars, with a scientific term as saccharides, are involved in various aspects in the lives of human beings, including the sense of taste, energy for daily life, etc. Recent development in polysaccharides, as well as the background knowledge in this field, further deepens insight into their roles as healthy supplements. In this book, the principles on polysaccharides' solubility and structure, methodologies and application of polysaccharides have been reviewed. The chapters in this book include the relationship between structure and solubility of polysaccharide, the experimental and computational researches on polysaccharide solubility and the common polysaccharide, which may further aid scholars and researchers in regard to solubility of polysaccharides, methodologies and modification.

This book reviews the evidence supporting the influence of plant fibers on our daily life by either having impacts on our nutrition or improving processed foods for human and animal feeding. By bringing new information and updating existing scientific data, this book will also be a consistent source of information for both professional and non-prof

This book provides a first comprehensive summary of acylation methods in a very practical manner. The coverage includes new developments not yet summarized in book form, and reviews spectroscopic methods, in particular FTIR- and NMR spectroscopy including two dimensional methods.

Volumes 5 and 6 focus on simple and complex polysaccharides synthesized by organisms as storage compounds, cell wall constituents or compounds at the surfaces of cells. They describe biosynthesis, metabolism, biodegradation, functions, properties and applications of these biopolymers, covering such topics as: agar, alginates, alternan, carrageenan, cellulose, cell wall polysaccharides from fungi, fucogel, chitin, chitosan, curdlan, dextran, elsinan, emulsan, gellan, glycogen, glycolipids, glycopeptides, gums, hemicellulose, hyaluronan, inulin, levan, lipopolysaccharides and other eps, peptidoglycans from archaea and bacteria, pectin, pullulan, schizophyllan, scleroglucan, succinoglycan, starch, teichoic acids, teichuronic acids, xanthan.

This authoritative reference work presents comprehensive information about one of the most important and most wide-spread classes of (bio)organic compounds: the polysaccharides. The comprehensive and thoroughly up-to-date handbook presents the sources, identification, analysis, biosynthesis, biotechnology and applications of important polysaccharides likes starches, cellulose, chitin, gum and microbial polysaccharides. Polysaccharides can exhibit complex structure and various functional activities. These bio macromolecules can therefore serve as raw materials for various different materials, e.g. rayon, cellulose acetate, celluloid and nitrocellulose; and they find multiple applications, for instance as surgical threads (chitin), as sources of energy, dietary fibers, as blood flow adjuvants, in cosmetics, emulsion stabilizers, film formers, binders, viscosity increasing agents or skin conditioning agenta, as food additives in gums, chewing gum bases and as vaccines. Polysaccharides form the basis for useful products, like xanthan gum, dextran, welan gum, gellan gum, diutan gum and pullulan. Some of the polysaccharide-derived products have interesting and useful properties and show biological activities, such as immunomodulatory, antibacterial, anti-mutagenic, radioprotective, anti-oxidative, anti-ulcer, antidepressant, anti-septicaemic or anti-inflammatory activities. All these applications and properties of polysaccharides are for the first time compiled in a thorough and comprehensive overview in the present work. This reference work is organized thematically in four parts: Part I. Polysaccharides: Occurrence, Structure, Distribution and Biotechnology. Part II. Methods. Part III. Bioactive Polysaccharides. Part IV. Polysaccharides as Food. This reference work is edited by experienced experts, all chapters are written by well recognized international specialists. It is useful to all those working in the field of botany, phytochemistry, pharmacy, drug delivery, molecular biology, metabolomics, forestry, environment, conservation, biotechnology and NGOs working for forest protection.

fudustrial uses of polysaccharides centre on their ability to thicken or structure many times their own weight of water, or in other words to control the rheology of hydrated systems. Until comparatively recently, however, objective characterisation of polysaccharide rheology, except in a few specialist research laboratories, was largely confined to compression of gels, simple measurements of solution viscosity, often in ill-defined geometries, and imitative tests intended to reflectproductperformance in specific areas ofend-use. Several factors have combined to bring a wider range of rheological techniques into common use. One is the increasing practical importance of systems that cannot adequately be described as solids or liquids, such as 'weak gels' and spreadable pastes. fu parallel, routine characterisation of such systems has become economically feasible with the development of a new generation of comparatively inexpensive computer-controlled instruments. There has also been a change ofemphasis from phenomenologicaldescription ofproduct texture towards the use of rheological measurements to probe the underlying molecular and supramolecular structures and the processes by which they are formed. As a result, even the most pragmatic producers and users of industrial polysaccharides are probably now familiar with terms such as creep compliance, stress overshoot and the ubiquitous G' and G", although perhaps not fully understanding their precise meaning or practical significance. A definitive text giving a rigorous description of the rheological approaches relevant to polysaccharide systems is therefore appropriate and timely. Romano Lapasin and Sabrina Priel are to be congratulated for tackling the daunting but worthwhile taskofproducing such avolume.

This book provides the whole spectrum of polysaccharides from basic concepts to commercial market applications. Chapters cover various types of sources, classification, properties, characterization, processing, rheology and fabrication of polysaccharide-based materials and their composites and gels. The applications of polysaccharides include in cosmetics, food science, drug delivery, biomedicine, biofuel production, marine, packaging, chromatography and environmental remediation. It also reviews the fabrication of inorganic and carbon nanomaterials from polysaccharides. The book incorporates industrial applications and will fill the gap between the exploration works in the laboratory and viable applications in related ventures.