Outstanding contribution of Professor József Szejtli to cyclodextrin applications in foods, cosmetics, drugs, chromatography and biotechnology: a review

Abstract

Cyclodextrins, natural oligosaccharides obtained from starch by enzymatic degradation, have been discovered 130 years ago by the pioneering work of the French pharmacist and chemist Antoine Villiers. These molecules still fascinate researchers and industrials because they are remarkable macrocyclic molecules with major impacts in chemistry, biology and health science. When we look at cyclodextrin chemistry today and reflect on how it has developed over the last five decades, no other scientist has been more determining, focused and inspiring than Professor Jozsef Szejtli. Indeed, among the list of prestigious researchers who have contributed to the development of cyclodextrins, Professor Szejtli played a fundamental role as an eminent scientist and a visionary. Since the mid-1950s, he has devoted his life to cyclodextrins, publishing more than 500 publications, including 106 patent applications. Professor Szejtli is internationally recognized for his outstanding contribution to the cyclodextrin science and considered to be the “Godfather of Cyclodextrins.” This paper is a tribute to his scientific oeuvre. After a brief overview of his personal life, some important works published by Professor Szejtli in more than fifty years of career were highlighted. For example, he was the first to synthesize the 14C labeled glucose-based β-cyclodextrin and published his oral metabolism. He was also the first to describe the acid hydrolysis of β-cyclodextrin and discovered that β-cyclodextrin formed inclusion complexes with hydrochloric acid. Professor Szejtli is the founder of International Cyclodextrin Symposia, the first of which was held in 1981 in Budapest.