Exploring the role of chitosan in affecting the adhesive, rheological and antimicrobial properties of carboxymethyl cellulose composite hydrogels.

Natural polysaccharide-based hydrogels are promising in food and pharmaceutical applications. In this study, the potential of composite hydrogels prepared by carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and chitosan as glue for cigar wrapping applications was firstly studied. The impacts of degree of carboxymethyl substitution (DS) and the ratio of CMC:chitosan on the adhesive performance and rheological behaviors of composite hydrogels have been investigated.