New Enzymatically Produced Interpenetrating Starch-Cellulose Gels

The project aims to translate existing academic research to enable the production of interpenetrating network (IPN) gels of starch and nanocellulose fibres using side-by-side enzymatic and/or bacterial synthesis routes. These IPN gels will be produced with the end aim of use in the food and home care industries. The project will develop tandem enzymatic processes for the production of small fragments of starch, xyloglucan and cellulose, assembly of components into gels in the presence of water, and characterisation of the mechanical and physical properties of the gels. We will valorise waste, making new products, reducing costs and CO2 emissions for the companies we will support through this technology. Industrial input will guide development of the gels, targetting key industrial applications. No research has yet developed gels based on industrial biotechnology approaches to produce small molecules of starch combining them with cellulose fibrils.