| Popis: |
Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide derived from chitin and extracted from agroindustrial residues such as the exoskeleton of crustaceous and other animals. Considered as one of the most abundant organic materials in nature, it has been widely used in several applications of industrial interest, mainly for its environmentally sustainable properties like biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and renewability. Due to the presence of amino groups in their chemical structure, chitosan has great versatility of modifications and formulations for industrial applications, such as controlled release, surface modification, and preparation of nanoparticles. Here, we review some of the successes with chitosan nanoparticles as biomedical applications and their preparation, ionic cross-linked emulsified chitosan, absorption and bioavailability, delivery systems, quality monitoring, and wastewater treatment. However, some problems that these chitosan nanoparticles may cause will be discussed, for example, mechanical resistance, dissolution, and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity under certain conditions. Finally, some solutions are proposed, like crosslinking agents, and physicochemical modifications, to manipulate particle size and stability. This chapter gives a comprehensive review of the advantages and recent developments in the formulation of chitosan nanoparticles as an alternative for sustainable agriculture. |
