Tamarind xyloglucan: a polysaccharide with versatile application potential

A huge amount of new information on xyloglucan (obtained from tamarind kernel) is available in the literature. A lot of research on applications of this polysaccharide has been performed in the last ten years. The research on xyloglucan extracted from tamarind kernel is compiled and presented in a comprehensive way in this article. The purpose of this review is to give an overview of the structure and properties of tamarind xyloglucan and to discuss some recent advances and future prospects of this polysaccharide in various application areas like drug-delivery technology, food technology and textile industry, etc. The article is intended to serve as a useful tool for beginners as well as for researchers actively involved in the fascinating area of green polymeric materials. It is likely to benefit large numbers of end users of this polysaccharide also.