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CELLULOSE

 

CAS Number: 9004-34-6
EC Number: 232-674-9
MDL number: MFCD00081512


APPLICATIONS

Cellulose (medium fibers) is used in metabolic pathway and carbohydrate applications. 
Cellulose has been used to study biofuel and biorefinery applications.
Cellulose has been used for biomass analysis in pyrolysis process
Cellulose has been used in column chromatography to purify organisms from uninfected erythrocytes and white cells
Cellulose has been used as a standard in fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to study conformational characteristics of bacterial cellulose (BC) obtained from Hestrin-Schramm (HS) medium
Cellulose has been used as a control in diet-related animal studies to evaluate the hypocholesterolemic activity of botryosphaeran
High purity cellulose powders for partition chromatography.

Cellulose for industrial use is mainly obtained from wood pulp and from cotton.
-Paper products: Cellulose is the major constituent of paper, paperboard, and card stock. 
-Electrical insulation paper: Cellulose is used in diverse forms as insulation in transformers, cables, and other electrical equipment.
-Fibers: Cellulose is the main ingredient of textiles. 
Cotton and synthetics (nylons) each have about 40% market by volume. 
Other plant fibers (jute, sisal, hemp) represent about 20% of the market. 
Rayon, cellophane and other "regenerated cellulose fibers" are a small portion (5%).
-Consumables: Microcrystalline cellulose (E460i) and powdered cellulose (E460ii) are used as inactive fillers in drug tablets and a wide range of soluble cellulose derivatives, E numbers E461 to E469, are used as emulsifiers, thickeners and stabilizers in processed foods. 
Cellulose powder is, for example, used in processed cheese to prevent caking inside the package. 
Cellulose occurs naturally in some foods and is an additive in manufactured foods, contributing an indigestible component used for texture and bulk, potentially aiding in defecation.
-Building material: Hydroxyl bonding of cellulose in water produces a sprayable, moldable material as an alternative to the use of plastics and resins. 
The recyclable material can be made water and fire-resistant. 
Cellulose provides sufficient strength for use as a building material.
Cellulose insulation made from recycled paper is becoming popular as an environmentally preferable material for building insulation. 
Cellulose can be treated with boric acid as a fire retardant.
-Miscellaneous: Cellulose can be converted into cellophane, a thin transparent film. 
Cellulose is the base material for the celluloid that was used for photographic and movie films until the mid-1930s. 
Cellulose is used to make water-soluble adhesives and binders such as methyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose which are used in wallpaper paste. 
Cellulose is further used to make hydrophilic and highly absorbent sponges. 
Cellulose is the raw material in the manufacture of nitrocellulose (cellulose nitrate) which is used in smokeless gunpowder.
-Pharmaceuticals: Cellulose derivatives, such as microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), have the advantages of retaining water, being a stabilizer and thickening agent, and in reinforcement of drug tablets.
The primary source of cellulose for industrial use is wood pulp and cotton. 
Cellulose is the main ingredient in paper, paperboard, wood products and cotton based textiles.
A number of commercial products have been developed and are manufactured from cellulose. 
In addition to paper-, textile- and wood products, which are made of naturally occurring cellulose, several chemically modified cellulose products have been developed over the years. 
The first product made from modified cellulose was nitrocellulose that was introduced in the beginning of the 20th century. 
Cellulose was primarily used for the manufacture of smoke less gun powder and photographic films. 
Other man-made products derived from cellulose derivatives are e.g. cellophane, viscose fibers, and thickeners for food products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Cellulose can be modified by esterification to give rise to different cellulose derivatives with various properties. 
Cellulose acetate is used in making cellulose films. 
Carboxymethyl cellulose is used in the pulp and paper industry, and hydroxypropyl cellulose is used as a thickening agent in food.
Cellulose is one of the most widely used natural substances and has become one of the most important commercial raw materials. 
The major sources of cellulose are plant fibers (cotton, hemp, flax, and jute are almost all cellulose) and, of course, wood (about 42 percent cellulose). 
Since cellulose is insoluble in water, it is easily separated from the other constituents of a plant. 
Cellulose has been used to make paper since the Chinese first invented the process around A.D. 100. 
Cellulose is separated from wood by a pulping process that grinds woodchips under flowing water. 
The pulp that remains is then washed, bleached, and poured over a vibrating mesh. 
When the water finally drains from the pulp, what remains is an interlocking web of fibers that, when dried, pressed, and smoothed, becomes a sheet of paper.
Raw cotton is 91 percent cellulose, and its fiber cells are found on the surface of the cotton seed. 
There are thousands of fibers on each seed, and as the cotton pod ripens and bursts open, these fiber cells die. 
Because these fiber cells are primarily cellulose, they can be twisted to form thread or yarn that is then woven to make cloth. 
Since cellulose reacts easily to both strong bases and acids, a chemical process is often used to make other products. 
For example, the fabric known as rayon and the transparent sheet of film called cellophane are made using a many-step process that involves an acid bath. 
In mixtures if nitric and sulfuric acids, cellulose can form what is called guncotton or cellulose nitrates that are used for explosives. 
However, when mixed with camphor, cellulose produces a plastic known as celluloid, which was used for early motion-picture film. 
However, because it was highly flammable (meaning it could easily catch fire), it was eventually replaced by newer and more stable plastic materials. 
Although cellulose is still an important natural resource, many of the products that were made from it are being produced easier and cheaper using other materials.
Cellulose is used mainly in paperboard and paper production. 
Smaller amounts are converted into a wide variety of derivatives, such as cellophane and rayon. 
The conversion of cellulose from energy crops into biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol as a renewable fuel source is under progress.
Cellulose is used in the diet as a fibre supplement.
Cellulose is used to produce paperboard and paper products.
Cellulose helps as an additive in various food items.
Cellulose is used in the production of rayon.
Cellulose is used as a preservative in cheese as it plays the role of an anti-clumping agent.
Cellulose is used in making explosives.
Cellulose is used in the manufacturing of nitrocellulose.
Cellulose is mainly useful in paperboard and paper production. 
Cellulose is useful as a stationary phase in chromatography.
Cellulose is the major constituent of paper; further processing can be performed to make cellophane and rayon, and more recently Modal, a textile derived from beechwood cellulose. 
Cellulose is used within the laboratory as a solid-state substrate for thin layer chromatography, and cotton linters is used in the manufacture of nitrocellulose, historically used in smokeless gunpowder.
Viscose is a very important fiber made out of cellulose and has been used for textiles since the beginning of the twentieth century.
The hydroxyl groups of cellulose can be partially or fully reacted with various chemicals to provide derivatives with useful properties. 
Cellulose esters and cellulose ethers are the most important commercial materials. 
In principle, though not always in current industrial practice, cellulosic polymers are renewable resources.
Among the esters are cellulose acetate and triacetate, which are film- and fiber-forming materials that find a variety of uses. 
Cellulose acetate, which is one of the cheapest raw materials produced, is used in making tools, eyeglass frames, electrical insulation, and packaging material, among other products. 
The inorganic ester nitrocellulose was initially used as an explosive and was an early film forming material. 
Cellulose nitrate was the first successful plastic.

DEFINITIONS

Cellulose, a β-glucan insoluble in water is an important constituent of plant cell wall. 
Cellulose is a tough, fibrous polysaccharide, which has a linear chain of glucose residues, linked with β-1,4 bond. 
Plants produces Cellulose abundantly.
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula (C6H10O5)n, a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. 
Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants, many forms of algae and the oomycetes. 
Some species of bacteria secrete it to form biofilms. 
Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer on Earth.
The cellulose content of cotton fiber is 90%, that of wood is 40–50%, and that of dried hemp is approximately 57%.
Cellulose is mainly used to produce paperboard and paper. 
Smaller quantities are converted into a wide variety of derivative products such as cellophane and rayon. 
Conversion of cellulose from energy crops into biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol is under development as a renewable fuel source. 
Cellulose for industrial use is mainly obtained from wood pulp and cotton.
Some animals, particularly ruminants and termites, can digest cellulose with the help of symbiotic micro-organisms that live in their guts, such as Trichonympha. 
In human nutrition, cellulose is a non-digestible constituent of insoluble dietary fiber, acting as a hydrophilic bulking agent for feces and potentially aiding in defecation.
Cellulose is a molecule, consisting of hundreds – and sometimes even thousands – of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. 
Cellulose is the main substance in the walls of plant cells, helping plants to remain stiff and upright.
Humans cannot digest cellulose, but cellulose is important in the diet as fibre. 
Fibre assists your digestive system – keeping food moving through the gut and pushing waste out of the body.
Animals, such as cows, sheep and horses, can digest cellulose, which is why they can get the energy and nutrients they need from grass.
Cellulose has many uses. 
In cotton, cellulose makes clothes like t-shirts and jeans. 
Paper-making needs huge quantities of cellulose, obtained mainly from wood.
Cellulose, a complex carbohydrate, or polysaccharide, consisting of 3,000 or more glucose units. 
The basic structural component of plant cell walls, cellulose comprises about 33 percent of all vegetable matter (90 percent of cotton and 50 percent of wood are cellulose) and is the most abundant of all naturally occurring organic compounds. 
Nondigestible by man, cellulose is a food for herbivorous animals (e.g., cows, horses) because they retain it long enough for digestion by microorganisms present in the alimentary tract; protozoans in the gut of insects such as termites also digest cellulose. 
Of great economic importance, cellulose is processed to produce papers and fibres and is chemically modified to yield substances used in the manufacture of such items as plastics, photographic films, and rayon. 
Other cellulose derivatives are used as adhesives, explosives, thickening agents for foods, and in moisture-proof coatings.
Cellulose is an odorless, white powdery fibers. 
Density: 1.5 g/cm3. 
Cellulose is The biopolymer composing the cell wall of vegetable tissues. 
Cellulose is Prepared by treating cotton with an organic solvent to de-wax it and removing pectic acids by extration with a solution of sodium hydroxide. 
The principal fiber composing the cell wall of vegetable tissues (wood, cotton, flax, grass, etc.). 
Technical uses depend on the strength and flexibility of its fibers. 
Cellulose is Insoluble in water. 
Cellulose is Soluble with chemical degradation in sulfuric acid, and in concentrated solutions of zinc chloride. 
Cellulose is Soluble in aqueous solutions of cupric ammonium hydroxide (Cu(NH3)4(OH)2).
Cellulose is a substance found in the cell walls of plants. 
Although cellulose is not a component of the human body, it is nevertheless the most abundant organic macromolecule on Earth. 
The scientific community first observed cellulose in 1833 when cellulose was studied in plant cell walls. 
The chemical structure of cellulose resembles that of starch, but unlike starch, cellulose is extremely rigid. 
This rigidity imparts great strength to the plant body and protection to the interiors of plant cells.
Cellulose is a polysaccharide (C6H10O5)x of glucose units that constitutes the chief part of the cell walls of plants, occurs naturally in such fibrous products as cotton and kapok, and is the raw material of many manufactured goods (such as paper, rayon, and cellophane).
Cellulose is an inert carbohydrate, (C6H10O5)n, the chief constituent of the cell walls of plants and of wood, cotton, hemp, paper, etc.
Cellulose is an organic polymer, composed of several glucose units. 
Cellulose is found everywhere in nature, for example in wood, green plants, cotton, flowers, linen, and hemp. 
In nature, cellulose is found as fibers made of the several cellulose polymers. 
In wood and plants, the fibers create a network, in which the fibers are attached to each other by mechanical forces and hydrogen bonds.
Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth. 
Cellulose occurs in plant cell walls and in bacteria. 
Common materials containing high amounts of cellulose are wood, paper, and cotton. 
Cellulose is a water-insoluble polysaccharide that humans can not digest. 
Cellulose is a linear polymer of beta-1,4 linked glucose building blocks, with chains arranged in microfibrils held together by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Cellulose is related to but distinct from starch, a water-soluble carbohydrate containing alpha-1,4 linked glucose building blocks that is digestible by humans.
The major component in the rigid cell walls in plants is cellulose. 
Cellulose is a linear polysaccharide polymer with many glucose monosaccharide units. 
The acetal linkage is beta which makes it different from starch. 
This peculiar difference in acetal linkages results in a major difference in digestibility in humans. 
Humans are unable to digest cellulose because the appropriate enzymes to breakdown the beta acetal linkages are lacking. 
Indigestible cellulose is the fiber which aids in the smooth working of the intestinal tract.
Cellulose is a molecule comprised of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and is found in the cellular structure of virtually all plant matter. 
Cellulose, which is considered the most abundant on earth, is even excreted by some bacteria.
Cellulose provides structure and strength to the cell walls of plants and provides fiber in our diets. 
Although some animals, such as ruminants, can digest cellulose, humans cannot. 
Cellulose falls into the category of indigestible carbohydrates known as dietary fiber.
In recent years, cellulose has become a popular food additive due to its unique chemical and physical properties when combined with water. 
Although cellulose can be found in most plant matter, the most economical sources of industrial cellulose are cotton and wood pulp.
Cellulose is made up of a series of sugar molecules linked together in a long chain. 
Since Cellulose is a fiber that makes up plant cell walls, it’s found in all plant foods.
When you eat food that contains Cellulose, cellulose stays intact as it passes through your small intestine. 
Humans do not have the enzymes needed to break down cellulose.
Cellulose is also an insoluble fiber and does not dissolve in water. 
When Cellulose is consumed, insoluble fibers can help push food through the digestive system and support regular bowel movements.
In addition to their role in healthy digestion, dietary fibers like cellulose may promote health in other ways. 
Studies suggest that high dietary fiber intake may reduce the risk of several diseases, including gastric cancer and heart disease. 
Cellulose probably is the most abundant organic compound in the world which mostly produced by plants. 
Cellulose is the most structural component in herbal cells and tissues. 
Cellulose is a natural long chain polymer that plays an important role in human food cycle indirectly. 
Cellulose has versatile uses in many industries such as veterinary foods, wood and paper, fibers and clothes, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries as excipient. Cellulose has very semi-synthetic derivatives which is extensively used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. 
Cellulose ethers and cellulose esters are two main groups of cellulose derivatives with different physicochemical and mechanical properties. 
Cellulose ethers and cellulose esters are broadly used in the formulation of dosage forms and healthcare products. 
Cellulose ethers and cellulose esters are playing important roles in different types of pharmaceuticals such as extended and delayed release coated dosage forms, extended and controlled release matrices, osmotic drug delivery systems, bioadhesives and mucoadhesives, compression tablets as compressibility enhancers, liquid dosage forms as thickening agents and stabilizers, granules and tablets as binders, semisolid preparations as gelling agents and many other applications. 
These polymeric materials have also been used as filler, taste masker, free-flowing agents and pressure sensitive adhesives in transdermal patches. 
Nowadays cellulose and cellulose based polymers have gained agreat popularity in pharmaceutical industries and become more and more important in this field owing to production of the new derivatives and finding new applications for existed compounds by pharmaceutical researchers.
Pure cellulose is available in different forms in the market with very different mechanical and pharmaceutical properties. 
The difference between various forms of cellulose is related to the shape, size and degree of crystallinity of their particles (fibrous or agglomerated). Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is the most known cellulose which extensively used in pharmaceutical industries. 
Microcrystalline cellulose grades are multifunctional pharmaceutical excipients which can be used as compressibility enhancer, binder in wet and dry granulation processes, thickener and viscosity builder in liquid dosage forms and free-flowing agents in solid dosage forms.
Mechanical properties of Microcrystalline cellulose grades are greatly influenced by their particle size and degree of crystallization. 
In recent years the new grades of Microcrystalline cellulose are prepared with improved pharmaceutical characteristics such as silisified Microcrystalline cellulose (SMCC) and second generation Microcrystalline cellulose grades or Microcrystalline cellulose type II (MCC-II). 
These grades are prepared by co-processing of cellulose with other substances such as colloidal silicon dioxide or by special chemical procedures. 
Other types of available pure cellulose are powdered cellulose (PC) and low crystallinity powdered cellulose (LCPC).
Regenerated cellulose is one of the other forms of processed cellulose which produced by chemical processing on natural cellulose. 
In the first step, cellulose dissolves in alkali and carbon disulfide to make a solution called "viscose". 
Viscose reconverted to cellulose by passing through a bath of dilute sulfuric acid and sodium sulphate. 
Reconverted cellulose passed through several more baths for sulfur removing, bleaching and adding a plasticizer (glycerin) to form a transparent film called cellophane. 
Cellophane has several applications in pharmaceutical packaging due to its suitable characteristics such as good compatibility, durability, transparency and elasticity.

History

Cellulose was discovered in 1838 by the French chemist Anselme Payen, who isolated it from plant matter and determined its chemical formula. 
Cellulose was used to produce the first successful thermoplastic polymer, celluloid, by Hyatt Manufacturing Company in 1870. 
Production of rayon ("artificial silk") from cellulose began in the 1890s and cellophane was invented in 1912. 
Hermann Staudinger determined the polymer structure of cellulose in 1920. 
Cellulose was first chemically synthesized (without the use of any biologically derived enzymes) in 1992, by Kobayashi and Shoda.

Polymers Made From Cellulose

Not only is cellulose everywhere in nature, cellulose was also used to make some of the first synthetic polymers like cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, and rayon. Forms of these polymers are still made and used today.
-Cellulose nitrate - also called nitrous cellulose or nitrocellulose for short - was originally used to make plastics often used as imitation ivory. 
It was also used to make motion picture film. 
But it was highly explosive and caused a lot of fires in movie theaters. 
This stuff is still around in a much safer form which is still used for plastics and clear lacquer coating for furniture, musical instruments and other wood objects.
-Cellulose acetate was what replaced cellulose nitrate in movie film. 
It is not explosive and is still used to make film negative, print film and clear plastic sheets. 
In the old days of movies it was often called celluloid, and this name is still used to refer to movie film, even though a lot of the release prints for movies are now made of more durable polyester. 
Cellulose acetate is also used to make fibers for acetate fabric.
-Rayon was originally a fiber made from cellulose nitrate. 
But like the plastic and film versions it was also very flammable. 
The new rayon - made from cellulose xanthate - is much safer and less flammable than the old stuff. 
Rayon is pretty popular for fabric because it has a lot of the qualities of natural plant fibers. 
This makes sense, since that's what it is made from. 
But it also has a smooth texture that makes it shiny like silk. 
One of the first uses of rayon was as an inexpensive replacement for silk.
The hydroxyl groups of cellulose can be partially or fully reacted with various reagents to afford derivatives with useful properties. 
Cellulose esters and cellulose ethers are the most important commercial materials. 
In principle, though not always in current industrial practice, cellulosic polymers are renewable resources.
Among the esters are cellulose acetate and cellulose triacetate, which are film- and fiber-forming materials that find a variety of uses. 
The inorganic ester nitrocellulose was initially used as an explosive and was an early film forming material.

Ether derivatives include

-Ethylcellulose, a water-insoluble commercial thermoplastic used in coatings, inks, binders, and controlled-release drug tablets;
-Methylcellulose;
-Hydroxypropyl cellulose;
-Carboxymethyl cellulose;
-Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, E464, used as a viscosity modifier, gelling agent, foaming agent and binding agent;
-Hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose, used in production of cellulose films.


Structure Of Cellulose

Like starch, cellulose is composed of a long chain of at least 500 glucose molecules. 
Cellulose is, thus, a polysaccharide (Latin for “many sugars”). 
Several of these polysaccharide chains are arranged in parallel arrays to form cellulose microfibrils. 
The individual polysaccharide chains are bound together in the microfibrils by hydrogen bonds. 
The microfibrils, in turn, are bundled together to form macrofibrils.
The microfibrils of cellulose are extremely tough and inflexible due to the presence of hydrogen bonds. 
In fact, when describing the structure of cellulose microfibrils, chemists call their arrangement crystalline, meaning that the microfibrils have crystal-like properties. 
Although starch has the same basic structure as cellulose—it is also a polysaccharide—the glucose subunits are bonded in such a way that allows the starch molecule to twist. 
In other words, the starch molecule is flexible, while the cellulose molecule is rigid.
Glucose, the building block of cellulose and starch, can form six-membered rings with two distinct stereoisomers called the alpha and beta anomer. 
The only difference between alpha and beta glucose is at carbon C1. 
The disaccharide cellobiose (reload initial scene) is a breakdown product of cellulose which shows the beta 1,4 linkage between two glucose molecules also present in cellulose. 
"beta 1,4" refers to a glycosidic link between the anomeric carbon in beta configuration of one glucose molecule with carbon 4 of the other glucose molecule. 
In contrast, starches (specifically the linear form amylose) can be broken down to maltose, a stereoisomer of cellobiose showing an alpha 1,4 linkage. 
Thus, it is the type of glycosidic linkage that distinguishes cellulose from starches at the molecular level.
Longer chains of beta 1,4 linked glucoses are found in cellulose. 
When cellulose is synthesized, these chains are made individually (cellulose chain during biosynthesis). 
Again, the linkages are all of the beta 1,4 type. 
In this structure, monomers are added to polymer chain inside the cell and secreted through the membrane, surrounded by the enzyme throughout.
Once secreted, individual cellulose chains self-assemble to from semi-crystalline cellulose micro-fibrils. 
There are multiple forms of cellulose (I alpha and beta, II, III) which differ in the orientation and the detailed interactions between linear polymers. 

Forms of Cellulose

Cellulose can be found on ingredient lists under a variety of names, depending on which form is used. 
Although cellulose has the same molecular structure regardless of the source (wood pulp, cotton, or other vegetable matter), how the molecules are bonded together and whether or not they are hydrated creates different “forms” of cellulose.
Powdered cellulose is the most widely used in food products and is the form of choice for anti-caking applications. 
Cellulose gum or cellulose gel, which are hydrated forms of cellulose, are often used in sauces or other wet items like ice cream and frozen yogurt.
Cellulose may also be found on ingredient lists under the names carboxymethylcellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, or MCC.

Sources of cellulose

Fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and other plant foods contain varying amounts of cellulose. 
The skin of plant foods usually has more cellulose than the flesh.
Celery, in particular, is very high in cellulose. 
If you have ever gotten stringy pieces from celery stuck between your teeth, then you have felt cellulose in action.
Cellulose is also a common food additive. 
When used in this way, Cellulose is either taken from wood or waste from the production of plant foods, such as oat hulls or peanut and almond skins.

Other names for cellulose added to foods include:
cellulose gum
microcrystalline cellulose
sodium carboxymethyl cellulose
microcrystalline cellulose
Cellulose may be added to shredded cheese or dried spice blends to prevent clumps. 
Cellulose is also found in some ice creams and frozen yogurts, particularly low fat varieties, to help thicken or mix the product and provide thickness in the absence of fat.
Bread products may be enriched with cellulose to boost their fiber content. 
In addition, cellulose can provide bulk to diet or low calorie foods, such as meal replacement shakes, to make them filling without increasing the total calories.
It’s worth noting that dietary fibers in general are added to many food products, even things like yogurts and ground meats. 
If you’re interested in whether the products you buy contain cellulose or another added fiber, check the ingredients list.
Finally, cellulose is available in supplement form. 
Cellulose supplements often contain a modified version of cellulose that forms a gel in the digestive tract.
Makers of these supplements claim that they help fill you up, lower calorie intake, and promote weight loss.
However, it’s unclear whether cellulose supplements live up to their claims.
A manufacturer-funded study on the weight loss effects of the cellulose supplement Plenity found that people who took the supplement lost more weight than those who took a placebo after 24 weeks. Still, more long-term studies are needed.

How Cellulose Is Used in Food

-Fiber Supplement: 
With rising awareness about fiber intake, cellulose has become one of the most popular food additives. 
Adding cellulose to food allows an increase in bulk and fiber content without a major impact on flavor. 
Since cellulose binds and mixes easily with water, it is often added to increase the fiber content of drinks and other liquid items when the gritty texture of regular fiber supplements would be undesirable.
Calorie Reducer: Cellulose provides a lot of volume or bulk of food but because it is indigestible to humans, it has no caloric value. For this reason, cellulose has become a popular bulking agent in diet foods. Consumers who eat foods with high cellulose content feel full physically and psychologically without having consumed many calories.

-Thickening/Emulsifying: 
The gelling action of cellulose when combined with water provides both thickening and stabilizing qualities in the food to which it is added. 
Cellulose gel acts similarly to an emulsion, suspending ingredients within a solution and preventing water from separating out. 
Cellulose is often added to sauces for both the thickening and emulsifying action.
The thickening power of cellulose also allows for more air to be whipped into products like ice cream, or whipped topping. 
Cellulose allows for the production of thick and creamy food items without the use of as much fat.

-Anti-caking: 
Cellulose’s ability to absorb moisture and coat ingredients in a fine powder makes it the ingredient of choice for anti-caking applications. 
Shredded and grated cheeses, spice mixes, and powdered drink mixes are just a few of the many food items that take advantage of cellulose as an anti-caking agent.


SYNONYMS
Cotton linters 
Cellulose powder
E460 when used as an emulsifier
Hydroxycellulose 
Pyrocellulose

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