Year: 2017
Type: review
Abstract: Cutin is the main component of plant cuticles constituting the framework that supports the rest of the cuticle components. This biopolymer is composed of esterified bi- and trifunctional fatty acids. Despite its ubiquity in terrestrial plants, it has been underutilized as raw material due to its insolubility and lack of melting point. However, in recent years, a few technologies have been developed to obtain cutin monomers from several agro-wastes at an industrial scale. This review is focused on the description of cutin properties, biodegradability, chemical composition, processability, abundance, and the state of art of the fabrication of cutin-based materials in order to evaluate whether this biopolymer can be considered a source for the production of renewable materials.
Source: Journal of Experimental Botany
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erx272
Authors: José A Heredia-Guerrero, Antonio Heredia, Eva Domínguez, Roberto Cingolani, Ilker S Bayer, Athanassia Athanassiou, José J Benítez
Institutions: Italian Institute of Technology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea "La Mayora", Universidad de Málaga, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla, Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Isla de la Cartuja, Universidad de Sevilla
Language: English
Subfield: Biomaterials
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2743808310