Pectin as a Versatile Biomaterial: Structure, Green Sourcing, and Emerging Applications in Pharmaceutics and Biomedicine

Hydrocolloids are an extremely diverse and valuable group of materials, with various sources, properties and applications in many industries. Increasingly, naturally sourced colloids have gained the interest of the scientific world for their bio-availability, eco-friendliness and bio-degradability. This, coupled with emerging "green" extraction methods and modifying techniques, opens a wide range of uses. Pectin is a well-known, natural and abundant biomaterial, a heterogeneous anionic polysaccharide with vast applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Traditionally used in the food sector as a gelling agent and thickener, it is considered safe for human consumption. Pectin has found new applications in the pharmaceutical and medical worlds due to its complex structure, and it provides variety in its properties. This paper brings together information about this polysaccharide's genuine usefulness in the context of growing interest for naturally sourced polymers, the reduction in wasteful industrial practices and environmental protection.