Browsing by Author "Sharma, G."

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    Cellulose: A multifaceted biopolymer
    (Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2016) Majeed, A.; Najar, R.A.; Ul Rehman, W.; Choudhary, S.; Thakur, S.; Singh, A.; Sharma, G.; Bhardwaj, P.
    Cellulose is a common natural polymer with a wide range of industrial, medical, bio fuel, agricultural, textile and paper applications. It exhibits various levels of structural organizations, from individual glucose chains through microfibrils, macrofibrils to cellulose fibers. The synthesizing machinery of cellulose consists of a six subunit plasmamembrane protein complex, cellulose synthase, organized into a rosette structure. Plant cellulose synthases possess additional plant specific motifs that are absent in bacteria. Among the different solvent systems developed for cellulose dissolution, ionic liquids stand at the forefront. Microorganism mediated energy release from cellulose facilitates its use in fuel cells as a source of energy. The nanocomposites of cellulose have revolutionized the medical field and are being chiefly used in tissue engineering, ligament engineering and wound healing. The chemical structure of cellulose make it suitable to form hydrogels which are used in tissue engineering, cartilage modelling, bone implantation, cell culture scaffolds, enhanced drug delivery, heavy metal absorbance, and in retaining soil water and efficient fertilizer release for agricultural efficiency. Besides, cellulose based ethanol production help to reduce the pressure on conventional sources of energy. This chapter focuses on cellulose structure, its synthesizing machinery, trafficking, genes and proteins involved, solubility and solvent systems, its derivatives, composites, hydrogels, fuel cells, ethanol production and degradation. ? 2016 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
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    Starch: A precise account covering its multidimensional aspects
    (Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2017) Majeed, A.; Ul Rehman, W.; Najar, R.A.; Choudhary, S.; Thakur, S.; Singh, A.; Sharma, G.; Bhardwaj, P.
    Starch is the main storage carbohydrate of plants and is composed of glucose residues linked together by ? 1-4 glycosidic bonds. The starch molecule consists of a linear amylose and highly branched amylopectin. Starch forms the main energy source in human diets and is present in large quantities in our common foods like rice, wheat, maize, etc. Granule-bound starch synthase is responsible for amylose synthesis while amylopectin requires the action of starch synthases plus branching enzymes. The degradation of starch requires another set of enzymes including ?-amylase and debranching enzyme. Microorganisms can be employed to produce the starch degrading enzymes thereby yielding the high glucose and fructose syrups. Starch is a good candidate for generating electricity in microbial fuel cells. Besides, ethanol production is yet another application for energy production that can lessen the pressure on conventional petroleum-based fuels. The hydrogels and composites of starch are widely used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, agriculture and medicine especially tissue engineering. Besides the starch itself, its derivatives have a wide range of industrial applications. This chapter focuses on starch structure, synthesis, derivatives, composites, hydrogels, energy production, cosmetic and other industrial applications. ? 2017 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.