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Polymers
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Advances in Natural Polymers and Active Compounds: Extraction Methods and Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2025 | Viewed by 4882

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Cornelia Vasile

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Physical Chemistry of Polymers Department, Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, 41A Gr. Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iași, Romania
Interests: polymeric (bionano)composites; biomaterials; biodegradation; polymer compatibility and biocompatibility; kinetics and thermodynamics of polymeric systems; food packaging, (active, bioactive, smart, (bio)degradable); drugs delivery; recovery of polymer wastes by destructive and non-destructive procedures ; environmental pollution and protection; smart polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gabriel Aguirre-Álvarez

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Guest Editor
Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Av. Universidad Km 1, Rancho Universitario, Tulancingo 43600, Hidalgo, Mexico
Interests: food science; biopolymers; collagen; edible films
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xiao-Feng Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710129, China
Interests: natural polymers; cellulose; lignin; hemicelulose; nanaomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural polymers (biopolymers) and (bio)active compounds derived from natural biomass can be obtained from a wide variety of natural, eco-friendly and biocompatible green sources, including plants, animals, microorganisms (bacteria, fungi), and algae in aquatic media, as well as from very diverse by-products and waste streams, by applying corresponding extraction (processing) procedures. Natural polymers are gaining interest among the research community as attractive materials with mechanical stability, film formation properties, a lack of toxicity, and a high compatibility and biocompatibility with the extra cellular matrix, and which are safe, low-cost, some of them exhibit a high antimicrobial, antioxidant, antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities, etc. These lend themselves to a wide range of applications for agriculture (e.g., water holding agents), food (food supplements, nutraceutical beverages) and food packaging (active, smart, biodegradable, eco-friendly, edible, etc), biomedicine (greater cellular attachment and matrix deposition in anticancer therapy, bone tissue engineering, drug carriers/nanocarriers, etc.), cosmetics (for skin repair, regeneration and hydration), etc. They are classified mainly into three groups: polysaccharides, peptides, and polynucleotides.

(Bio)active compounds as natural antimicrobial/antioxidants of various origins are being developed for biopreservation, which includes plant-derived products (natural extracts, essential oils, polyphenolics, and plant antimicrobial peptides (pAMPs)), certain foods (such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, and whole grains), animal-derived products (lysozymes, lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, ovotransferrin, etc.), and microbial metabolites (nisin, natamycin, pullulan, ε-polylysine, organic acid, and others). Moreover, bioactive compounds extracted from the same natural sources as biopolymers are used for their valuable therapeutic biological properties and as antimicrobial agents to inhibit the harmful activity of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and are especially known for their biocompatibility, renewability, and biodegradability, etc., having numerous applications. Bioactive compounds have actions in the body that may promote good health. They are being studied in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, and other diseases. Active agents are used in advanced polymeric materials to improve their functionality for food preservation, biomedicine, cosmetics as antimicrobials, antifungals, antioxidants, ethylene or oxygen scavengers, CO2 emitters or scavengers, moisture scavengers, flavour emitters, etc. Natural extracts and essential oil (EO) vitamins, polyphenols, carotenoids, etc., are excellent for their various matrices to obtain biocomposites with special properties.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original articles or reviews from an extensive range of expertise in the field of natural polymers and natural active compounds with its widely ranging subject matter. It aims to advance understandings of the fundamental and technological aspects of the extraction of natural products, polymers, and active compounds, and their applications.

Prof. Dr. Cornelia Vasile
Dr. Gabriel Aguirre-Álvarez
Dr. Xiao-Feng Sun
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • natural polymers
  • (bio)active compound
  • collagen
  • gelatin
  • hyaluronic acid
  • starch
  • cellulose
  • pectin
  • dextran
  • pullulan
  • chitin
  • chitosan
  • alginate
  • guar gum
  • xanthan
  • casein
  • albumin
  • natural extract
  • essential oils
  • antimicrobial peptides
  • food
  • biomedicine
  • pharmaceutic
  • agriculture
  • cosmetic

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 4827 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical Characteristics of Chitosan Extracted from Pleurotus ostreatus and Its Anticancer Activity Against the MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cell Line
by Adil Aldhahrani
Polymers 2025, 17(9), 1228; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17091228 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 271
Abstract
One of the main causes of death worldwide is cancer, a disorder in which a solid or liquid mass of cells known as a tumor develops when one or more cells lose the capacity to regulate their development. This study aims to assess [...] Read more.
One of the main causes of death worldwide is cancer, a disorder in which a solid or liquid mass of cells known as a tumor develops when one or more cells lose the capacity to regulate their development. This study aims to assess the potential of chitosan as an anticancer agent in place of standard therapy regimens that have some degree of unselective cytotoxicity. PCR was performed for the RNA extraction of Caspase-3 and β-actin genes, and Cq values and quantification curves for each gene were recorded. Additionally, SRB and FITC apoptosis investigations were used to assess the effectiveness of chitosan powder’s anticancer activity against breast cancer cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Natural Polymers and Active Compounds: Extraction Methods and Applications)
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14 pages, 3064 KiB  
Article
One-Step Synergistic SDS-H2O2 Process for High-Purity Chitin Extraction from Fly Larvae
by Yuhuan Qiu, Zhongtao Zhao, Feng Hu, Mengyi Liu and Xiaowen Shi
Polymers 2025, 17(7), 994; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17070994 - 7 Apr 2025
Viewed by 348
Abstract
This study develops an efficient method for chitin extraction from fly larvae using a synergistic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) system. Through a three-factor orthogonal experimental design, the optimal conditions were determined as 7% H2O2 [...] Read more.
This study develops an efficient method for chitin extraction from fly larvae using a synergistic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) system. Through a three-factor orthogonal experimental design, the optimal conditions were determined as 7% H2O2, 80 °C, and 15% SDS, achieving 97.93% deproteinization and 95.66% lipid removal efficiencies. Comparative analyses revealed that the SDS-H2O2 system outperformed traditional alkaline and deep eutectic solvent treatments in both purification performance and structural preservation. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the high purity and crystallinity of the extracted chitin. Chitin prepared by this method demonstrated good Pb2+ adsorption (99.91%), highlighting its potential for targeted heavy metal remediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Natural Polymers and Active Compounds: Extraction Methods and Applications)
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13 pages, 2884 KiB  
Article
Application of a Polysaccharide Purification Instrument—The Preparation and Characterization of Soybean Soluble Polysaccharide
by Xuhui Zhuang, Hongjuan Chen, Xiaohong Luo, Wei Han and Yongtan Yang
Polymers 2025, 17(4), 480; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17040480 - 12 Feb 2025
Viewed by 686
Abstract
Polysaccharides in plants and microorganisms have important application value, and their purification and preparation is a prerequisite for in-depth research. However, there is currently a lack of dedicated separation and purification instruments for polysaccharide substances. In our previous work, a polysaccharide purification instrument [...] Read more.
Polysaccharides in plants and microorganisms have important application value, and their purification and preparation is a prerequisite for in-depth research. However, there is currently a lack of dedicated separation and purification instruments for polysaccharide substances. In our previous work, a polysaccharide purification instrument (PSPI) was designed using post-column split-flow and post-column derivatization schemes and developed. In this study, the PSPI was applied to separation and preparation of the soybean soluble polysaccharides (SSPSs) and obtained the purified SSPS (SSPS-P). The total carbohydrate content in SSPS-P reached 97.2%, compared to 81.7% in SSPS, and the carbohydrate recovery rate was 86.5%. The composition and structure of SSPS-P have been assessed by HPLC, FT-IR, and NMR. SSPS-P was a polysaccharide with a molecular weight (Mw) of 354 KDa, composed of D-glc, D-gal and L-ara with the molar ratio of 0.02:2.08:1.01. The structure of SSPS-P was mainly →4)-β-galp-(1→unit. The α-L-araf residues were also detected in the form of T-α-L-araf-(1→2)-α-L-araf-(1→, →3)-α-L-araf-(1→ and →3,5)-α-araf-(1→. PSPI could be applied for rapid and precise separation and preparation of polysaccharides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Natural Polymers and Active Compounds: Extraction Methods and Applications)
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16 pages, 3398 KiB  
Article
Efficient Extraction and Analysis of Wheat Straw Lignin by Response Surface Methodology
by Yongke Wang, Xiao-Feng Sun, Jiayi Chen, Sihai Hu and Ran Sun
Polymers 2024, 16(20), 2935; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16202935 - 19 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1365
Abstract
To enhance the high-value utilization of straw waste and achieve efficient lignin extraction, wheat straw was selected as the feedstock for investigating the effects of reaction temperature, reaction time, solid–liquid ratio, and formic acid concentration on lignin yield using a formic acid/acetic acid [...] Read more.
To enhance the high-value utilization of straw waste and achieve efficient lignin extraction, wheat straw was selected as the feedstock for investigating the effects of reaction temperature, reaction time, solid–liquid ratio, and formic acid concentration on lignin yield using a formic acid/acetic acid solvent system. A single-factor experimental design was initially employed, followed by optimization using the response surface methodology. Additionally, a kinetic model was developed to describe lignin extraction kinetics in the formic acid/acetic acid system. The structural characteristics and thermal stability of the extracted lignin were analyzed via FTIR, UV spectroscopy, and TGA. The findings indicate that increasing reaction temperature, reaction time, solid–liquid ratio, and formic acid content all significantly enhanced lignin extraction yield from wheat straw, with the primary influencing factors being reaction temperature > solid–liquid ratio > reaction time > formic acid content. The optimal extraction conditions were identified at a reaction temperature of 90 °C, a reaction time of 3.5 h, a solid–liquid ratio of 1:16.5, and a formic acid content of 86.2 wt.%, yielding a lignin content of 79.83%. The analytical results demonstrated that the extracted lignin preserved the structural integrity of the original lignin and exhibited good thermal stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Natural Polymers and Active Compounds: Extraction Methods and Applications)
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18 pages, 4252 KiB  
Article
Statistical-Based Optimization of Modified Mangifera indica Fruit Starch as Substituent for Pharmaceutical Tableting Excipient
by Prin Chaksmithanont, Ketsana Bangsitthideth, Kwanputtha Arunprasert, Prasopchai Patrojanasophon and Chaiyakarn Pornpitchanarong
Polymers 2024, 16(18), 2653; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16182653 - 20 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1549
Abstract
This study aimed to optimize modified starch from Mangifera indica (mango) fruit using acid hydrolysis and pre-gelatinization via computer-assisted techniques as a substituent for pharmaceutical tableting excipients. The hydrolysis and microwave-assisted pre-gelatinization time and temperature were optimized using a three-level factorial design. The [...] Read more.
This study aimed to optimize modified starch from Mangifera indica (mango) fruit using acid hydrolysis and pre-gelatinization via computer-assisted techniques as a substituent for pharmaceutical tableting excipients. The hydrolysis and microwave-assisted pre-gelatinization time and temperature were optimized using a three-level factorial design. The modified starches were characterized for flowability, compressibility, and swelling properties. It was found that all parameters fit a quadratic model, which can be used to predict the properties of the modified starch. The optimized hydrolysis reaction was 3.8 h at 56.4 °C, while the pre-gelatinization reaction was 3 min at 150 °C. Structural changes were found, ascertaining that starch modification was successful. The optimized hydrolyzed starch showed superior properties in relative to unmodified M. indica fruit starch and comparable characteristics to conventional excipients. The optimized pre-gelatinized starch presented an excellent enhancement in the flow and compression properties, with %swelling greatly augmented 3.95-fold and 1.24-fold compared to unmodified starch and SSG, respectively. Additionally, the pre-gelatinized starch presented comparable binding effect, while the hydrolyzed powder had reduced binding capacity due to shorter chains. The findings revealed that the use of software-assisted design of experiment facilitated a data-driven approach to optimize the modifications. The optimized modified mango starch demonstrated potential as a multifunctional excipient, capable of functioning as binder, disintegrant, and diluent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Natural Polymers and Active Compounds: Extraction Methods and Applications)
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