Biodegradable Polymers for Microencapsulation Systems

Abstract

Environmentally friendly alternatives have become sought after upon the development of scientific research and industrial processes. Recent trends suggest biodegradable polymers as the most promising solution for synthetic microcapsule systems. Safety, efficiency, biocompatibility, and biodegradability are some of the properties that biodegradable systems in microencapsulation can provide for a broad spectrum of applications. The controlled release of encapsulated active agents is a research field that, over the years, has been constantly innovating due to the promising applications in the areas of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, textile industry, among others. This article presents an overview of different polymers with potential for microcapsule synthesis, namely, biodegradable polymers. First, natural polymers are discussed, which are divided into two categories: polysaccharide-based polymers (cellulose, starch, chitosan, and alginate) and protein polymers (gelatin). Second, synthetic polymers are described, where biodegradable polymers such as polyesters, polyamides, among others appear as examples. For each polymer, this review presents its origin, relevant properties, applications, and examples found in the literature regarding its use in biodegradable microencapsulation systems.

Protection of Mono and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids from Grapeseed Oil by Spray Drying Using Green Biopolymers as Wall Material

“…There is a wide variety of encapsulating agents. Among the most used encapsulating agents for lipids are Arabic gum, barley protein, carrageenan, chitosan, maltodextrin, methylcellulose, skim milk powder, and whey protein [ 7 ]. Those are biodegradable, abundant, and generally non-toxic.…”

“…Those are biodegradable, abundant, and generally non-toxic. On the other side, it is possible to find synthetic polymers used as encapsulating agents, as well as aliphatic polyesters, such as poly (lactic acid) and copolymers of lactic and glycolic acids [ 7 ]. The disadvantage of these materials is that synthetic polymers show a lack of biocompatibility, and they have a high potential for contamination.…”

Biopolymers for packaging applications: An overview

“…On the basis of monomers used and the biopolymer structure formed, the biopolymers are classified as polynucleotide, polypeptides and polysaccharides. 1,4,45 According to their source and production method, the biopolymers are divided into three groups: Group-I: directly extracted from biomass (polysaccharide, protein, polypeptide and polynucleotide), Group-II: produced using renewable bio-based monomers or mixed sources of biomass and petroleum, by classical chemical synthesis (poly-lactic acid, biopolyester) and Group-III: produced by microorganism or genetically modified bacteria (poly-hydroxy butyrate, bacterial cellulose, xanthene and pullulan). 26,29,44,46,47 Based on their responsiveness to the thermal conditions, they are divided into elastomers, thermo-sets and thermoplastics.…”

“…101 The biopolymers are increasingly used in food and consumer goods packaging, which are categorised as environmental friendly packaging materials. 12,29,45,51,129,130 The major markets where the biopolymers can emerge are food, nonfood, personal and healthcare products and other consumer goods packaging. 13 Variety of agricultural commodities and food waste can be utilised for developing biopolymer-based coatings and films.…”

Preparation of Mangosteen Peel Extract Microcapsules by Fluidized Bed Spray-Drying for Tableting: Improving the Solubility and Antioxidant Stability

“…Fluidized bed microencapsulation is the prevalent approach and offers several advantages, including low cost, minimal dust pollution, high uniformity, high encapsulation efficiency, and excellent stability [ 18 , 19 ]. The polymer utilized further enhances the quality and stability of the microencapsulation; hence, choosing the proper base polymer should be performed [ 17 , 20 ].…”