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. And the results indicated that relatively low DS of CMC and relatively low ratio of chitosan might be favorable for the adhesive properties of composite hydrogels. But a higher ratio of chitosan may significantly improve the rheological properties of composite hydrogels and alter their thermal-sensitivity. The impacts of chitosan on the wet ability with tobacco leaf, the morphology and the XRD patterns of composite hydrogels were also observed. The CMC-chitosan composite hydrogel could significantly decrease the total molds on tobacco leaf brought by CMC, and therefore may show great potential to improve the quality of cigar during long-term storage. All the information in this study is new, which could be useful for exploring the application of CMC-chitosan composite hydrogel in food, pharmaceutical, even other fields. •CMC-chitosan composite hydrogels were fabricated and firstly applied as glue for cigar wrapping applications.•Relatively low substitution degree of CMC and low ratio of chitosan were favorable for adhesive properties.•Chitosan improved the rheological properties of hydrogel and altered its thermal-sensitivity.•Composite hydrogel significantly decreased the total molds on the surface of tobacco leave.