As durable packaging films increasingly replace the standard, petroleum-based, non-degradable polymer films, further research on the techniques involved in the synthesis and scaling up of these biological polymers in packaging and preservation is in high demand. Microbial β-glucans: Relevance in food packaging and preservation synthesizes the latest research on this topic and offers a compendium of the various facets of β-glucans extracted from microbial sources. β-glucans covered include Gellan Gum, Pullulan, Xanthan Gum, and Curdlan. A useful guide for microbiologists and industry stakeholders, this book offers systemic approaches to the commercial synthesis of each glucan polymer, through either genetic or metabolic engineering. Finally, a discussion of impacts on human health and of the larger safety and environmental implications, as well as regulatory status of these polymers, leaves readers with a complete understanding of the current industry landscape and of imminent advancements.

Prof.  Ramesh C. Ray, Ph.D., is an agriculture and food microbiologist, author, editor, and is currently serving as an adjunct professor in industrial biotechnology at Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (SOA), deemed to be a University, Bhubaneswar, India. He is a former distinguished member of the Agricultural Research Service of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, and Head of the Regional Centre, ICAR–Central Tuber Crops Research Institute at Bhubaneswar, India.

Dr. Sirajunnisa Abdul Razack, PhD, PDF, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Acharya Institute of Technology, Karnataka, India. She has nearly fifteen years of research experience, including post-doctoral fellowships awarded by Anna University, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand and Pukyong National University, South Korea.

Dr. Yuvaraj Ravikumar, Ph.D, PDF, is a biochemist and computational biologist, author, and review editor, and is currently serving as an Associate Professor in the biotechnology department at Acharya Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India. He is a Visiting Professor at Chiang Mai University, Thailand and has nearly eleven years of research experience, including post-doctoral fellowships awarded by Incheon National University, South Korea, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and Jiangsu University, China.