Algal Polysaccharides: Properties and Applications

Abstract

Bioactive polymers mainly polysaccharides such as cellulose, chitin, amylose and beta-glucan are well discovered from various sources in nature. Amongst chitin, as the second most abundant polysaccharides after cellulose, is known as a highly insoluble polysaccharide consisting of β-4-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, which has been identified as a structural component of crustaceans, crabs, shrimps, insects, and other arthropods, as well as a component of the cell walls of fungi