Nature of Polysaccharides

Figure 3. Scheme of an experiment to demonstrate the intracellular nature of polysaccharide-feruloylation. 

Enzymes best retain their activity on insolubilization when hydrophilic rather than hydrophobic matrices are used. Although many non-carbohydrate matrices have been employed, the hydrophilic nature of polysaccharides must be a major feature contributing to their widespread use for enzyme insolubilization. Presumably, the hydroxyl groups of the polysaccharide resemble water molecules sufficiently to provide the enzyme to be attached with an environment suited to its stability. 

The addition (loading) of nanomaterials to polymers leads to significant changes in their physical, mechanical as well as thermal properties. Due to the hierarchical stmcture and semicrystalline nature of polysaccharides (cellulose, starch, and chitin), nanoparticles can be extracted from these naturally occurring polymers (Dufresne 2010). 

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