Team:Exeter/Applications
From 2012.igem.org
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- | <p>Currently polysaccharides can be found in the process of wastewater treatment. Chitin has been shown to decontaminate plutonium and mercury | + | <p>Currently polysaccharides can be found in the process of wastewater treatment. Chitin has been shown to decontaminate water containing plutonium and mercury, whilst chitosan able to remove arsenic from contaminated drinking water and petroleum from wastewater.</p> |
<p>There is also the potential for polysaccharides to be used in the removal of other heavy metals from wastewater. Imagine if you were able to use polysaccharides to at first detect harmful elements within water, obtain a fast signal to say exactly what was present and then also be able to extract all of the contaminant using a polysaccharide removal system!</p> <br> | <p>There is also the potential for polysaccharides to be used in the removal of other heavy metals from wastewater. Imagine if you were able to use polysaccharides to at first detect harmful elements within water, obtain a fast signal to say exactly what was present and then also be able to extract all of the contaminant using a polysaccharide removal system!</p> <br> | ||
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<p>Last year Suzanne Lee set a challenge; to spin her a bug, align it in a certain direction, grow it around a specific shape and make it hydrophobic. We believe that our project is a step in the right direction to making this a reality. </p> | <p>Last year Suzanne Lee set a challenge; to spin her a bug, align it in a certain direction, grow it around a specific shape and make it hydrophobic. We believe that our project is a step in the right direction to making this a reality. </p> | ||
<p>With the ability to create novel polysaccharides and build them with very specific properties, in both physical and electrical, a vast amount of new, unique, and exciting materials could present themselves.</p> | <p>With the ability to create novel polysaccharides and build them with very specific properties, in both physical and electrical, a vast amount of new, unique, and exciting materials could present themselves.</p> | ||
- | <p>One that may be invented could take advantage of | + | <p>One that may be invented could take advantage of xylomannan found within the Alaskan Beetle, <i>Upis ceramboides</i>. Its anti-freeze ability enables the beetle to resist temperatures below -60°C. A suit which could withstand such extreme temperatures would have many uses, perhaps predominantly in diving and space suits!</p><br> |
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- | <p>Polysaccharides are present in most foods but not just as the notorious | + | <p>Polysaccharides are present in most foods but not just as the notorious “<i>e-numbers</i>”.</p><br> |
<p>They can be used as edible food glues to accomplish many different types of effects from standard assembly of food parts to highly decorative pieces of food art. Along with its artistic capabilities there are also practical implications in the uses of external polysaccharides when regarding food. They also offer applications in areas such as: thickeners, suspension agents, oxidation resistance, dehydration resistance, and extending the shelf life of the foodstuff. Cyclodextrin has a further application in the food industry, acting as cholesterol reducing agent it can be used to remove cholesterol from food products. </p><br> | <p>They can be used as edible food glues to accomplish many different types of effects from standard assembly of food parts to highly decorative pieces of food art. Along with its artistic capabilities there are also practical implications in the uses of external polysaccharides when regarding food. They also offer applications in areas such as: thickeners, suspension agents, oxidation resistance, dehydration resistance, and extending the shelf life of the foodstuff. Cyclodextrin has a further application in the food industry, acting as cholesterol reducing agent it can be used to remove cholesterol from food products. </p><br> |
Revision as of 15:09, 23 September 2012
Polysaccharides have a spectacular range of properties which stem from the relationships between the chemical nature of the sugars, their arrangement within the polymer and the arrangement of the polymer itself. They appear in every corner of the natural world and have multiple applications in nature ranging from protection to energy storage. Not surprisingly humanity has taken advantage of their diversity and by doing so created a huge variety of uses within the medicinal, material and consumable sectors. We invite you to take a brief look at what we believe could one day be possible if a system to design bespoke polysaccharides existed. Alex Clowsley, 2012. |