Starch modification in biochemical and pharmaceutical applications

Abstract

Starch is not only the most important energy source in the human diet, but also the most diverse biopolymer for food, industrial, and pharmaceutical applications because of its ease of modification via chemical, physical and enzymatic means to create novel functionalities. The aim of this special issue is to bring together recent advances in the area of modified starch for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. On behalf of the editorial board, I would like to express my most sincere appreciation to all contributors to this special issue. Ya-Jane Wang oversees the Carbohydrate Chemistry Program at the university of Arkensas. After completing her Ph.D at the Iowa State University she worked as a Senior Carbohydrate Chemist at Cerestar USA. She then moved to an academic position at the university of Arkensas, where she was appointed as a full professor in 2009. Her research interests include, the determination of structure/function relationships of starch and other polysaccharides and the development of novel starches for nutritional and pharmaceutical applications.