What are Biopolymers?
“Polymers are large molecules consisting of repeated chemical units (`mers’) joined together, usually in a chain, like beads on a string. Each `mer’ is typically made up of more than 5 and less than 500 atoms; the word `polymer’ is applied when you have more than about 50 `mers’ stuck together. Most of the plastics that make up the pieces of junk that fill our lives are made of polymers.” –John Mer, Cornell University. Biopolymers are derived from animals and plants. They represent the most abundant organic compounds in the biosphere and constitute the largest fraction of cells. Technical applications for biopolymers include products and techniques used in medicine such as; tissue engineering, surgical gels and adhesives, medical devices and drug release systems, and in food products such as; soft drinks, yoghurts, ice creams, baked products, confectionery and pet foods. Biopolymers are used to modify texture by thickening or gelling, emulsify oils such as flavour components, stabilis
A biopolymer is any organic polymer. Biopolymers have been around for billions of years longer than synthetic polymers like plastics. Well-known biopolymers include starch, proteins and peptides, DNA, and RNA. Together these make up much of our bodies and the majority of the biosphere. A polymer is any chainlike molecule composed of a repeating unit called a monomer. Monomers coalesce into polymers in a process called polymerization. The biopolymer of DNA is arguably the most important – it is the means by which body plans and their emerging behaviors are passed from parents to offspring. The starch polymer is made up of sugar monomers. When you consume starch, it gets broken down into sugar within the body. Starch provides an extended-release form of nutrition in contrast to more quickly-metabolized sugars. Protein and peptide biopolymers have amino acids as their constituents. This is why amino acids are often referred to as “the building blocks of life.” DNA and RNA are made up of n
