Polysaccharide based nano materials: Health implications

Abstract

Polysaccharides are present everywhere as important biomolecules having great potential as biomaterial with numerous applications in biotechnology and food industry sectors. These natural substances have characteristics of biodegradability, low immunogenicity, and low toxicity, thus they found their way into food and pharma products. In these industries, application of new technologies has emerged to improve the permeability, bioavailability, and retention time of polysaccharide material with limited interaction with drugs. The use of these polysaccharides as nanoparticles emerged as a result of research interventions to act as effective carriers in the food and pharmaceutical industry. During this decade, polysaccharide based nano polymers was applied to fabricate biomaterial for different biomedical applications such as drug carriers, cell encapsulation, and delivery of therapeutics to tumor tissues. New ideas are generated to use these nanopolymers in food products that can act as a carrier for drugs and nutrients. Some of these polysaccharides materials such as cellulose, chitosan, pectin, beta-glucan, and dextran can be modified into nanomaterials through chemical, mechanical or biochemical treatment to enhance their bioactive properties. These polysaccharide nanofibers, can be incorporated into food products such as muffins, meatballs, ice-cream further improving their nutritional quality while providing health benefits. This review, discusses the development of polysaccharide nanoparticles from various sources and its applications in food and pharma products in relation to health implications.