Film products, especially suitable for oral delivery, which can be formed during manufacture in the form of large and/or heavy film strips or sheets and subsequently cut into uniform dosage units, each dosage unit being uniform in content and having distributed therein a linear polysaccharide, such as pullulan, a plasticizer, and an active component.

The present invention relates to a method for the production of a biopolymer, wherein the biopolymer has a defined average molecular weight, the method comprising lyophylizing a composition comprising the biopolymer with native high molecular weight, optionally purifying and/or isolating the biopolymer; wherein the temperature during the sublimation process is selected to facilitate a controlled and defined degradation of said biopolymer.

The invention relates a process for preparing a cross-linked starch-based polymer comprising the following steps: 1) dissolving a starchy material in a suitable solvent to form a starchy material solution; and 2) adding a episulfide of formula (I), wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are independently selected from hydrogen and (C.sub.1-C.sub.3)alkyl in the starchy material solution in order to obtain the disulfide crosslinked starch-based polymer. In another aspect the invention concerns a disulfide-cross-linked starch-based polymer obtainable by the process of the invention, that is characterized by only disulfide bridges.

The present invention relates to a process for the purification of complex biocompositions.

The invention provides an improved method of synthesising derivatives of β-D-glucopyranoside-containing polymers, such as chitin, chitosan, cellulose, amylose, pullulan, curdlan, inulin, guar gum or cyclodextrin. The method includes reacting a polymer of formula (III) with a cyclic imide to form a polymer of formula (I) thereby introducing a nitrogen functionality at the 6-position and providing access to 6-deoxy-6-amino-β-D-glucopyranoside-containing polymers. ##STR00001##

A method for the production of empty pullulan capsules eliminate the need to dry pullulan solid product, thereby reducing the equipment cost and energy consumption. The pullulan raw material production can be linked directly with the capsule production to provide a unique approach for empty capsule formation. The purified pullulan fermentation fluid can be directly used in capsule preparation, thus removing the need for a melting process. On the one hand, the method may decrease material consumption, save the cost of equipment and labor, reduce production time and increase productivity. On the other hand, the method may reduce the fluctuating of raw material quality in the re-melting process and guarantee a more stable capsule production and quality.

A method for the production of empty pullulan capsules eliminate the need to dry pullulan solid product, thereby reducing the equipment cost and energy consumption. The pullulan raw material production can be linked directly with the capsule production to provide a unique approach for empty capsule formation. The purified pullulan fermentation fluid can be directly used in capsule preparation, thus removing the need for a melting process. On the one hand, the method may decrease material consumption, save the cost of equipment and labor, reduce production time and increase productivity. On the other hand, the method may reduce the fluctuating of raw material quality in the re-melting process and guarantee a more stable capsule production and quality.

The invention provides an improved method of synthesising derivatives of -D-glucopyranoside-containing polymers, such as chitin, chitosan, cellulose, amylose, pullulan, curdlan, inulin, guar gum or cyclodextrin. The method includes reacting a polymer of formula (III) with a cyclic imide to form a polymer of formula (I) thereby introducing a nitrogen functionality at the 6-position and providing access to 6-deoxy-6-amino--D-glucopyranoside-containing polymers.

##STR00001##

The instant disclosure provides a process for making pullulan.

Methods for the cross-metathesis of polysaccharides with one or more olefin-terminated side chains and cross-metathesized products are described. In an exemplary embodiment, a method for the synthesis of cellulose -carboxyesters via olefin cross-metathesis is described. Conditions of the reactions were relatively mild and the olefin-substituted polysaccharides and the appropriate monomeric olefin partners appear to follow Grubbs rules as summarized herein. The compounds and methods may be useful for structure-property studies, particularly those aimed at developing polymers for drug delivery, such as for controlled-release drug delivery systems, controlled-release coatings, increasing bioavailability of drugs, and maintaining drug supersaturation in the GI tract.