Pullulan is a linear homopolysaccharide of glucose, which is produced as a water-soluble, extracellular polysaccharide by certain strains of the polymorphic fungus Aureobasidium pullulans (De Bary) Arnaud.
Pullulan has adhesive properties and can be used to form fibers, compression moldings, and strong, oxygen-impermeable films. In food industry, pullulan films can be employed as coating or packaging materials of dried foods, as a binder for tobacco, seed coatings and plant fertilizers, as low viscosity filler in beverages and sauces, as binder and stabilizer in food pastes, to inhibit fungal growth in foods. In pharmaceutical industry, pullulan can be used as a denture adhesive, in the sugar coated pharmaceutical compositions to prevent brownish color change of the composition. Pullulan can also be used in cosmetics, lotions, and shampoos.
