PULLULAN

Pullulan has strong film-forming properties, and the film formed after its aqueous solution is dried on a metal plate has strong gas barrier properties to oxygen and nitrogen. 
Pullulan is suitable for making water-soluble edible films and is compatible with other water-soluble polymers.
Pullulan is a naturally occurring, fungal polysaccharide produced by fermentation of liquefied corn starch by Aureobasidium pullulans, a ubiquitous yeast-likefungus. 

CAS Number: 9057-02-7
Molecular Formula: C20H36O16
Molecular Weight: 532.49024
EINECS Number: 232-945-1

Synonyms: O-Palmitoylpullulan, Pullulan palmitate, Pullulan, hexadecanoate, 53572-58-0, SCHEMBL25229841, Pullulan Standard 6μ000;Pullulan Standard 400μ000;Pullulan Standard 110μ000;Pullulan Standard 320;pullulan from aureobasidium pullulans;Pullulan standard 100000;Pullulan standard 12000;Pullulan standard 1600000

Pullulan is a water-soluble, linear homopolysaccharide of glucose that is produced extracellularly by certain strains of the Aureobasidium pullulans fungus. 
This polysaccharide possesses adhesive properties and can be utilized to create strong, compression moldings, fibers, and oxygen-impermeable films. 
Pullulan films are frequently used as coating or packaging material for dried foods, as a binder for tobacco, plant fertilizers, and seed coatings, as a low-viscosity filler in sauces and beverages, as well as a stabilizer and binder in food pastes. 

Pullulan is often used to halt fungal growth in food. 
As for pharmaceutical applications, pullulan is used as a denture adhesive and an ingredient in sugar-coated pharmaceutical compositions to prevent the development of brownish coloring. 
Pullulan finds application in lotions, shampoos, and cosmetics.

Pullulan is a white, tasteless, and odorless non-crystalline powder that dissolves easily in water and dimethylformamide, but not in alcohol, ether, or oil. 
Its solution is viscous, stable, and neutral, with no gelling effect. 
The viscosity of the solution is the same as that of gum arabic, and it has a very good thickening effect of salt resistance, enzyme resistance, heat resistance, and pH value change resistance. 

Pullulan has a linear structure consisting predominantly of repeating maltotriose units, which are made up of three o-1,4-linked glucose molecules linked by a-1,6-glycosidic bonds. 
The maltotriose units are interspersed with about 6% maltotetraose units consisting of four o-1,4-linked glucose molecules; rarely, branch points occur, at which poly-maltotriose side chains are attached to the main chain by a 1,3-glycosidic bond.

Pullulan is a water-soluble microbial exopolysaccharide produced primarily by the yeast-like fungus Aureobasidium pullulans through aerobic fermentation.
Pullulan is a linear glucan composed of repeating maltotriose units, with the glucose residues connected through alternating α-(1→4) and α-(1→6) glycosidic linkages.
This distinctive structure gives Pullulan a combination of water solubility, film-forming ability, flexibility, adhesion, and biodegradability that has made it useful in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and biomedical applications. 

Pullulan is generally represented by the repeating-unit formula (C6H10O5)n, while its molecular weight is not a single fixed value because it depends strongly on the producing microorganism and fermentation conditions.
Reported molecular weights commonly range from approximately 45,000 to 600,000 Da, allowing different grades to provide different viscosity and film-forming characteristics.
The polymer is typically obtained as a white to yellowish-white powder and dissolves readily in water, while its solubility and processing behavior can vary with molecular weight and formulation conditions. 

The repeating maltotriose structure is one of the most important characteristics distinguishing Pullulan from many other naturally derived polysaccharides.
Three glucose units are connected through α-(1→4) bonds to form a maltotriose segment, while neighboring maltotriose segments are connected through α-(1→6) linkages to produce the polymer chain.
The combination of these two types of glycosidic bonds contributes to Pullulan's relatively flexible, linear structure and its ability to form transparent and cohesive films. 

Pullulan is produced biologically rather than being obtained directly from plants or animals as a preformed polymer.
Industrial production generally involves cultivating Aureobasidium pullulans in a carbohydrate-containing fermentation medium, followed by separation, purification, concentration, and drying of the polysaccharide.
Glucose, sucrose, starch-derived substrates, and various agro-industrial residues have been investigated as carbon sources for improving the sustainability and economics of Pullulan production. 

One important feature of Pullulan is its ability to form strong, flexible, and oxygen-resistant films without requiring petroleum-derived synthetic polymers.
Its water solubility and film-forming capacity make it particularly suitable for edible coatings, dissolvable films, encapsulation systems, and biodegradable packaging materials.
Recent research has investigated Pullulan-based films combined with other biopolymers, natural extracts, essential oils, and nanoparticles to improve mechanical strength, moisture resistance, antimicrobial performance, and food-preservation properties. 

Pullulan also has considerable biological and pharmaceutical relevance because it is generally described as biocompatible, biodegradable, edible, and non-toxic in the literature.
Pullulan numerous hydroxyl groups provide chemical sites that can be modified through oxidation, esterification, etherification, sulfation, and other reactions to introduce new functional properties.
These modifications can alter solubility, mechanical behavior, surface characteristics, degradation, and interactions with active substances, expanding the range of potential Pullulan-based materials. 

In pharmaceutical and biomedical research, Pullulan is investigated as a carrier material because its polymer chains can interact with active compounds and biological surfaces.
Research has explored Pullulan-based systems for drug delivery, gene delivery, tissue engineering, wound-related materials, ocular formulations, implants, and other controlled-delivery technologies.
Many of these applications remain research or development areas rather than established uses of unmodified Pullulan, particularly when specialized chemical modifications or nanostructures are required. 

Pullulan is also considered an attractive sustainable polymer because it can be produced through microbial fermentation using renewable carbohydrate resources.
The use of agricultural and agro-industrial residues as fermentation substrates has been investigated as a way to reduce production costs while converting biomass waste into a value-added biopolymer.
Pullulan biodegradability, renewable production route, and ability to replace certain conventional film-forming materials have therefore contributed to growing interest in Pullulan-based sustainable materials. 

Melting point: >248 °C (dec.)
Storage temp.: 2-8 °C
Solubility: H2O: 50 mg/mL, slightly hazy, colorless
Form: Powder
Color: White to Off-white
Odor: At 100.00%, odorless
Optical activity: +190
Water solubility: Water: 50 mg/mL, colorless to very faintly yellow
Major Application: Cleaning products; cosmetics; food and beverages; personal care
Cosmetics Ingredients Functions: BINDING; FILM FORMING

Pullulan is produced by fermentation from a food-grade hydrolyzed search with a non-toxin-producing strain of Aureobasidium pullulans. 
After fermentation, the fungal biomass is removed by microfiltration, the filtrate is heat-sterilized, and pigments and other impurities are removed by adsorption and ion exchange chromatography. 
Pullulan contains not less than 90% glucan on a dried basis. 

The main impurities from the starting material are mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides. 
The average relative molecular mass of pullulan varies considerably depending on the conditions of the culture. 
A commercially available product has an average relative molecular mass of 200 000 Da.

Pullulan is a polysaccharide polymer that is derived from the Aureobasidium pullulans yeast and consists of D-Maltotriose units. 
Pullulan is used as a binder and film former in a variety of formulation categories (skin, make-up, and hair). 
Pullulan has been used in a study to assess bone tissue engineering. 

Addition of pullulan has improved the elongation at break of gelatin based edible film when the amount was 50% (wt. %).
Pullulan also has a distinctive rheological profile that makes it useful as a film-forming and texture-modifying polymer.

Pullulans aqueous solutions can provide viscosity and adhesive properties while remaining relatively easy to process compared with some other high-molecular-weight polysaccharides.
The viscosity and mechanical behavior of Pullulan depend strongly on molecular weight, concentration, temperature, and processing conditions. 

The polymer contains numerous hydroxyl groups that provide opportunities for chemical modification without destroying the underlying polysaccharide structure.
These hydroxyl groups can be modified through oxidation, esterification, etherification, sulfation, urethane formation, and other reactions to introduce properties such as pH responsiveness, improved mechanical strength, antimicrobial activity, or altered solubility.
Modified Pullulan is therefore being investigated when the properties of the unmodified water-soluble polymer are insufficient for a particular application. 

A notable characteristic of Pullulan is its relatively strong oxygen-barrier performance when formed into dense films.
This property results from the compact hydrophilic polymer network and makes Pullulan films particularly interesting for protecting oxygen-sensitive foods and active ingredients from oxidative degradation.
However, unmodified Pullulan films remain sensitive to water and can have limited mechanical strength, so plasticizers, blending, crosslinking, or other modifications are often investigated to improve their performance. 

Pullulan can also interact with other polymers and biomolecules to create composite materials with different functional properties.
Blending it with materials such as starch, alginate, chitosan, proteins, or cellulose derivatives can modify water resistance, mechanical strength, barrier properties, and processing behavior.
These combinations are particularly relevant to biodegradable packaging, edible coatings, pharmaceutical films, and biomaterial development. 

In food technology, Pullulan can function as more than a simple film-forming material because its structure can influence the behavior of starch and protein systems.
Recent research has examined its ability to delay starch retrogradation, modify gelatinization behavior, improve gel characteristics, and influence interactions between starch and proteins.
These properties create opportunities for Pullulan-containing formulations in baked foods, starch-based products, edible films, and controlled-release food systems. 

Pullulan is also being developed into electrospun fibers and other nanostructured materials for encapsulation and controlled delivery.
Electrospinning can convert Pullulan solutions into high-surface-area fibers capable of incorporating bioactive compounds, functional additives, and other polymeric components.
Such materials are being investigated for active food packaging, delivery of bioactive substances, and advanced biodegradable material systems. 

Another important area is the development of Pullulan-based hydrogels and crosslinked networks for biomedical applications.
Chemical modification or crosslinking can convert the water-soluble polymer into structures with controlled swelling, degradation, adhesion, and active-substance release characteristics.
These materials have been investigated for wound-related materials, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and other biomedical applications, although many specialized systems remain under research and development. 

The production process itself can substantially influence the final properties of Pullulan.
Fermentation conditions, carbon source, microbial strain, recovery method, and purification steps can affect molecular weight, rheological behavior, purity, and film-forming performance.
This is why industrial Pullulan production involves careful control of both fermentation and downstream processing rather than relying only on the chemical composition of the starting carbohydrate. 

Pullulan is increasingly associated with sustainable material development because it can be produced through microbial fermentation from carbohydrate-based renewable feedstocks.
Pullulan have investigated starch, sugars, and lower-cost agricultural or agro-industrial substrates as alternatives for improving production economics and reducing dependence on refined raw materials.
The combination of renewable production, biodegradability, edibility, and film-forming capability has helped maintain interest in Pullulan as a potential component of bio-based material systems. 

Uses Of Pullulan:
Pullulan has been used in a study to assess bone tissue engineering. 
Pullulan has also been used in a study that investigated anti-fog applications.

Pullulan is a hemocompatible, nonimmunogenic, and noncarcinogenic agent. 
In the food industry are mainly filler, edible, and tasteless polymers. 
Furthermore, in pharmaceuticals and electronics pullulan is used in tissue engineering, drug and gene delivery systems, as a coating agent, and as a film- and fiber-forming agent, due to its excellent physicochemical properties. 

Pullulan is the backbone of a polymeric system capable of forming hydrogels and nanogels. 
These systems show potential applications in the preparation of green smart materials, biomimetics, biosensors, artificial muscles, drug delivery systems, and chemical separations. 
Pullulan-based nanosystems can act as carriers of different drugs. 

Pullulan has been used as a carrier for oral, nasal, and lung transmucosal drug delivery systems because it is not attacked by the digestive enzymes in the human gut[3-4].
Pullulan Standards are mostly used to obtain molecular mass distribution of cellulosic samples. 
Pullulan mainly consists of polymaltotriose units linked together by α-(1→6) linkages. 

Pullulan is a biodegradable polysaccharide made by yeast fermentation, originally developed in Japan. 
Its adhesive and oxygen impermeable properties enable it to be used to coat pharmaceutical products. 
Pullulan is water soluble, odorless, and edible.

Pullulan is widely used in the food industry as a film-forming, coating, stabilizing, and encapsulating material.
Its transparent, tasteless, odorless, and biodegradable films can be applied to fruits, vegetables, confectionery, grains, snacks, and other food products to provide a protective edible layer.
Pullulan low oxygen permeability is particularly valuable for reducing oxidation and helping maintain the quality of oxygen-sensitive foods. 

Pullulan is used as a food additive under the designation E1204 in the European Union, with authorized applications including certain food supplements and breath-freshening confectionery products.
Pullulan can be processed into rapidly dissolving edible films that carry flavors, sweeteners, or other functional ingredients and dissolve in the mouth without requiring conventional packaging.
The polymer is also used in food supplement formulations, particularly as a material for capsule shells and coated tablets. 

Another important application is the production of edible and biodegradable packaging films.
Pullulan can be combined with plasticizers, chitosan, alginate, cellulose derivatives, proteins, or other biopolymers to modify flexibility, strength, moisture resistance, and barrier performance.
These composite films are being developed for fresh produce, bakery products, dried foods, grains, and other products where reduced dependence on conventional plastic packaging is desired. 

Pullulan is also used in pharmaceutical formulations as a film-forming and encapsulation material.
Pullulan can be incorporated into hard capsules, tablets, oral films, fast-dissolving strips, coatings, microparticles, and other dosage forms to control the presentation and release of active ingredients.
Its water solubility, film-forming capability, and compatibility with biological systems make it particularly useful for oral and mucosal delivery systems. 

In oral drug delivery, Pullulan-based films and strips can provide rapid dissolution and uniform distribution of active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Researchers have also investigated Pullulan as a matrix or excipient for tablets and microparticles, including systems designed to modify drug release and improve the handling of active compounds.
Chemically modified Pullulan can provide additional control over solubility, release rate, targeting, and interaction with biological tissues. 

Pullulan is used in capsule manufacturing as a plant-derived alternative to animal-based gelatin capsules.
Pullulan ability to form strong, transparent films allows it to produce shells suitable for dietary supplements and certain pharmaceutical products while accommodating sensitive ingredients such as plant extracts.
Pullulan capsules can also provide useful barrier and mechanical properties for protecting encapsulated materials during storage. 

In the cosmetics and personal-care industry, Pullulan is used as a film-forming and skin-conditioning ingredient.
Pullulan can be incorporated into creams, lotions, facial masks, sunscreens, serums, shampoos, and other formulations where formation of a thin film on the skin or hair is desirable.
Pullulan-based films can contribute to surface conditioning and are also being investigated as carriers for cosmetic active ingredients. 

Pullulan is particularly relevant to cosmetic products designed to provide a temporary tightening or smoothing effect on the skin.
When a Pullulan-containing formulation dries, the resulting polymer film can create a surface film that contributes to the perception of tighter and smoother skin.
This property has encouraged its use in facial masks, anti-aging formulations, and other cosmetic products focused on the visible appearance of fine lines and skin texture. 

Pullulan is also investigated as a carrier for cosmetic and dermatological active ingredients.
Its polymer structure can be modified or combined with other materials to create systems capable of improving the localization and controlled release of active compounds at the skin surface or within particular skin layers.
Such systems are being studied for topical delivery of antioxidants, antimicrobial substances, and other functional ingredients. 

In biomedical applications, Pullulan is used as a material for hydrogels, membranes, scaffolds, and wound-related biomaterials.
Pullulan film-forming capacity, biodegradability, and compatibility with biological environments allow it to be combined with other polymers or bioactive substances to produce functional tissue-contact materials.
Pullulan-based materials have consequently been investigated for wound care, tissue engineering, regenerative materials, and localized delivery of therapeutic compounds. 

Pullulan is also used in microencapsulation and controlled-release systems for food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical ingredients.
Pullulan polymer matrix can protect sensitive compounds from environmental degradation and can be engineered into microcapsules, nanoparticles, films, and hydrogels with different release characteristics.
For example, Pullulan-based microcapsules have been investigated for protecting vitamin C against oxidation while providing controlled release under different pH conditions. 

In probiotic and functional-food technologies, Pullulan can serve as a matrix for encapsulating microorganisms and protecting them during processing and storage.
Pullulan-based edible films and microcapsules have been investigated for maintaining the viability of probiotic bacteria and controlling their exposure to unfavorable environmental conditions.
These applications make Pullulan relevant to functional foods, nutraceutical delivery, and edible packaging systems containing sensitive biological ingredients. 

Pullulan is also being explored for advanced drug-delivery systems including nanoparticles, microparticles, micelles, hydrogels, and targeted delivery platforms.
Chemical modification of its hydroxyl groups can introduce hydrophobic, charged, or stimulus-responsive characteristics that allow the polymer to interact with specific active compounds and biological targets.
These systems are mainly research and development applications, with their suitability depending on the specific Pullulan derivative, formulation, and intended route of administration. 

Beyond food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, Pullulan has been investigated for agricultural, textile, chemical, and environmental applications.
Its film-forming, adhesive, rheological, and biodegradable properties can be utilized in coatings, binders, encapsulation systems, and other specialized material formulations.
Many of these applications remain developmental compared with its established food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic uses. 

Safety Profile Of Pullulan:
Pullulan is generally considered to have a low hazard profile, and several current safety data sheets classify it as not hazardous under the applicable GHS or CLP criteria.
For example, a recent European SDS for Pullulan states that the substance does not meet the criteria for classification and does not require hazard labelling.
However, supplier classifications can differ for research-grade products, so the SDS for the specific commercial grade should always be checked before handling. 

As a dry polysaccharide powder, Pullulan can generate airborne particles during weighing, transferring, mixing, or processing.
Dust exposure should therefore be minimized even when the substance itself does not carry a GHS hazard classification.
Good laboratory practice includes adequate ventilation and appropriate eye and skin protection during routine powder handling. 

Some suppliers of research-grade Pullulan assign precautionary hazard statements including H302, H315, H319, and H335, corresponding to harmful if swallowed, skin irritation, serious eye irritation, and respiratory irritation.
These classifications are not consistent across suppliers, with other SDS documents explicitly reporting that Pullulan does not meet the criteria for health-hazard classification.
The difference emphasizes the importance of using the current SDS associated with the exact grade, purity, and supplier rather than applying one classification universally to all Pullulan products. 

Direct contact with the eyes should nevertheless be avoided when handling concentrated Pullulan powder or laboratory preparations.
If material enters the eyes, standard chemical-handling practice involves rinsing thoroughly with water and obtaining medical attention if irritation persists.
Skin contact should similarly be minimized, particularly during repeated occupational handling of powdered material. 

Pullulan is hygroscopic, and moisture exposure can affect its physical properties, powder handling, and storage stability.
Commercial specifications from TCI recommend storing Pullulan in a cool, dark location and under inert gas, with hygroscopic conditions identified as something to avoid.
Keeping the container tightly closed and protecting the material from unnecessary moisture exposure can therefore help preserve its quality. 

Although Pullulan is generally regarded as non-flammable under ordinary handling conditions, some safety documentation notes that the material can burn.
As with other carbohydrate-based polymer powders, excessive accumulation of combustible dust should be avoided and unnecessary exposure to ignition sources should be controlled during industrial processing.

Pullulan Procurement and Technical Support:
Ataman Kimya supports customers looking for Pullulan with dependable supply solutions and relevant technical information for industrial and formulation requirements. 
Additional support can be provided regarding product specifications, available documentation, and the evaluation of suitable product options based on the intended application.