Microcrystalline Cellulose: Inexhaustible Treasure

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is emerging in popularity because of its renewability, non-toxicity, economic benefits, biodegradability, excellent mechanical properties, large surface area, and good biocompatibility. For instance, it is used in foods, pharmaceuticals, medicine, cosmetics, and polymer composites. MCC can be produced via several approaches, such as by reactive extrusion, enzyme mediated processes, steam explosions, and acid hydrolysis. It is widely utilized in tableting excipients as well because of its exceptional dry binding traits while undergoing direct compression. For particular industries, MCC’s particle size, density, compressibility index, angle of repose, powder porosity, hydration swelling capacity, moisture sorption capacity, moisture content, crystallinity index, crystallite size and mechanical properties are determined in order to establish applicability for the industry. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) or differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is typical of measuring MCC, these dimensions then allow for the predication of the thermal behaviour of MCC when subjected to different heat stresses. For nanocrystalline cellulose, the degree of polymerization of MCC is usually over 400 while for MCC is less than that. Maximum mass fraction of 10% of all particles must consist of MCC particles sized lower than 5µm. There are several subclasses of MCC such as PHs 101, 102, 103, 105, 112, 113, 200, 301, and 302 which can be categorized according to their size.