Section 1 :Basic information of beta cyclodextrin
Synonym: Beta cyclodextrin；β- cyclodextrin；cycloheptaose； cyclomaltulose
Abbreviation: B-CD
CAS NO. 7585-39-9
Molecular Formula: C42H70O35
Structural Formula:
Section 2 :Properties of β-Cyclodextrin
β-Cyclodextrin has a white crystalline appearance and crystallises easily in water. β-Cyclodextrin has a low solubility of 1.85% at room temperature, which increases with temperature. β-Cyclodextrin is not hygroscopic but readily forms stable hydrates. β-Cyclodextrin is insoluble in common organic solvents but is slightly soluble in pyridine, dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide and ethylene glycol.
Section 3：The role of beta cyclodextrin in the field of medicine
β – cyclodextrin, as a new type of pharmaceutical excipient, is mainly used to enhance the stability of drugs, prevent drug oxidation and decomposition, improve drug solubility and bioavailability, reduce drug toxicity and side effects, and mask drug odors and foul odors. In food manufacturing, it is mainly used to eliminate odor, improve the stability of spices, essence and pigments, and enhance the emulsifying ability and moisture-proof ability. Improving the taste of food is a good stabilizer, emulsifier, and flavoring agent for the pharmaceutical, food, and chemical manufacturing industries
Section 4 :Raw materials of beta cyclodextrin
The production uses corn starch as raw material and achieves efficient conversion through enzymatic hydrolysis process, with the core being to control enzymatic hydrolysis conditions to optimize yield and purity.
Section 5 :Role of β-Cyclodextrins in the Food Industry
Cyclodextrins are used as multifunctional food additives because of their ability to protect certain substances from oxidation, light, heat, volatilisation and solid phase reactions. The following are his main uses:
- During food processing and storage, β – CD can prevent the volatilization of various spices, oils, spices, and other volatile substances, and maintain the aroma of food unchanged for a long time. β – CD can maintain the stability of nutrients such as pigments, amino acids, and vitamins that are prone to oxidation, photodegradation, and spoilage when exposed to heat.
- β – CD can remove the unpleasant taste of fish and meat, as well as the unpleasant odor caused by the addition of nutrients such as vitamin B in food, and other odors in food, increasing the palatability of food. It can also improve the taste of sweeteners such as saccharin and saccharin.
- β – CD can form long-term stable emulsions in beverages with high oil content, such as ice cream, coffee drinks, and other emulsified foods. If used in conjunction with food emulsifiers, the emulsification effect is better.
- β – CD can slow down the release of food preservatives and preservatives, improve the preservative effect, and extend the shelf life of food.
Section 6: Market Development of β-Cyclodextrin
Pharmaceuticals: Occupying more than 45% of the market share, the research and development of new targeted drug delivery systems (e.g., nano-scaled encapsulated compounds) and sustained-release formulations will become the core growth point.
Food and Functional Products: The growth rate of food additives is stable (9.8%), and the popularity of prepared dishes and functional beverages will drive the demand growth, and it is expected that the market size of flavour stabilizers will reach RMB 1.12 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, the application of probiotic embedding and nutrient protection technology will further expand the market space.
Cosmetics & Personal Care: Consumer preference for natural ingredients and slow release technologies will continue to drive demand. The penetration of nanoscale embedding technology in serums and sunscreen products is expected to increase to 45%, driving the market size of the segment to over US$630 million.
Secondly, technological innovations have led to functional upgradation and cost optimisation
Derivatives: Modified products such as hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin (HPβ-CD) and sulphobutyl ether β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) are commercially available, with significant improvement in water solubility and safety.
Production process innovation: enzyme modification technology and mother liquor reuse technology reduces environmental pollution and improves resource utilisation.
Nanotechnology integration: The development of nanoscale β-cyclodextrin derivatives has become a technological breakthrough, and their application in drug delivery and cosmetics will significantly improve product performance. For example, nano-embedding technology can improve the stability of active ingredients and transdermal absorption efficiency.
Rapid rise of emerging applications
Environmental protection and water treatment: β-cyclodextrin functionalized biochar (BC@β-CD) developed by academician Ren Nanqi’s team has outstanding performance in artificial wetland denitrification, with the nitrogen removal rate increased by 42-46%, and the greenhouse gas emission reduced by 70-85% at the same time. This technology provides a new solution for low carbon to nitrogen ratio wastewater treatment and is expected to be widely used in environmental protection projects in the future.
New Energy and Materials Science: β-cyclodextrins combined with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to form composites have shown excellent performance in CO₂ adsorption (adsorption capacity of 12.3 cm³/g, selective CO₂/N₂ up to 947.52) and can be recovered and reused by ultrasonic method. Such materials are expected to be an important component of carbon neutral technologies.
Conclusion
The future development of β-cyclodextrin will be characterised by high-end, diversification and greening: while deepening its application in traditional fields such as pharmaceuticals, food and cosmetics, it will rapidly penetrate into emerging fields such as environmental protection, new energy and biomedicine; enhance the added-value of its products through the development of derivatives and the fusion of nano-technology; and promote the innovation of the production process and sustainable development under the support of policies. Enterprises with technological innovation ability and industry chain integration advantages will dominate the market, while technological substitution and environmental regulations will become the key variables of industry reshuffle.