Latest Polysaccharides Stories

U.S. botanists say they have discovered a mechanism that shuts down cellulose production in plants. Purdue University researchers said their discovery might lead to enhancement of biomass production for plant-based biofuels. The scientists, led by Professor Nicholas Carpita, said they discovered small-interfering RNAs shut off genes involved in primary cell wall growth in order to begin development of thicker, secondary cell walls. These small RNAs were known to play a role in fending off...

Plants, genetically modified to ease the breaking down of their woody material, could be the key to a cheaper and greener way of making ethanol, according to researchers who add that the approach could also help turn agricultural waste into food for livestock.Lignin, a major component of woody plant material, is woven in with cellulose and provides plants with the strength to withstand strong gusts of wind and microbial attack. However, this protective barrier or "plastic wall" also...

U.S. scientists say the discovery of a mechanism plants use to stop cellulose production may lead to a way of enhancing plant biomass used in biofuels. Purdue University Professor Nicholas Carpita says small-interfering RNAs play a role in plant development by shutting off genes involved in primary cell wall growth to begin development of thicker, secondary cell walls. These small RNAs were known to play a role in fending off disease-causing pathogens, but we are only now beginning to...

Most plastics are based on petroleum. A bio-plastic that consists of one hundred percent renewable raw materials helps to conserve this resource. Researchers have now optimized the plastic in such a way that it is even suitable for products such as Nativity figurines.Toys have to put up with a lot of rough treatment: They are sucked on by small children, bitten with milk teeth, dragged along behind bobby cars, and every now and then they have to survive a rainy night outdoors. Whatever...

TAI'AN, China, Nov. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- China RuiTai International Holdings Co., Ltd. (BULLETIN BOARD: CRUI) ("China RuiTai" or "the Company"), a leading producer and distributor of cellulose ether products in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), announced today that the Company will present at the upcoming Rodman & Renshaw Global Investment Conference in New York City. The date, time and location of China RuiTai's presentation at the conference are as follows: Date:...

KENILWORTH, N.J., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Schering-Plough Corp., today announced that a study published in the November 2008 issue of the medical journal, Anesthesiology (Vol. 109, No. 5)(1) demonstrated that sugammadex produced a significantly more rapid recovery from profound rocuronium-induced muscle relaxation than the conventional reversal agent neostigmine. Importantly, this is the first comparative study to demonstrate that rapid reversal of profound rocuronium-induced...

TAI'AN, China, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- China RuiTai International Holdings Co., Ltd. (BULLETIN BOARD: CRUI) ("China RuiTai" or "the Company"), a leading producer and distributor of cellulose ether products in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), today announced that it completed the construction of its new plant for manufacturing biopolysaccharide. Production is expected to begin by the end of 2008. "We are delighted that construction of our new plant has been completed...

British scientists say they may have discovered why people who eat more fruits and vegetables have less risk of cancer -- pectin. Pectin is better known for its jam-setting qualities and as being a component of dietary fiber, but the current finding supports a cancer-fighting role as well. Vic Morris of the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, England, said the researchers determined that a fragment released from pectin -- found in all fruits and vegetables -- binds to and is believed...

TAI'AN, Shandong, China /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- China RuiTai International Holdings Co., Ltd. (BULLETIN BOARD: CRUI) ("China RuiTai" or "the Company"), a leading producer and distributor of cellulose ether products in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), today announced that production has increased to normalized levels following the lifting of energy usage restrictions imposed by the Chinese government to avoid power outages during the second quarter. "We are pleased that our...

By Naran, Radnaa Chen, Guibing; Carpita, Nicholas C The viscous seed mucilage of flax (Linum usitatissimum) is a mixture of rhamnogalacturonan I and arabinoxylan with novel side group substitutions. The rhamnogalacturonan I has numerous single nonreducing terminal residues of the rare sugar L-galactose attached at the O-3 position of the rhamnosyl residues instead of the typical O-4 position. The arabinoxylan is highly branched, primarily with double branches of nonreducing terminal...