methyl cellulose

noun

Chemistry.

1. a grayish-white powder prepared from cellulose that swells to a highly viscous colloidal solution in water: used as a food additive and in water paints, leather tanning, and cosmetics.

Word History and Origins

Origin of methyl cellulose¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

The researchers began by developing a 'soil' like mix for plants to grow in, but instead of dirt, they combined growth medium with glass nanoparticles smaller than 1 μm in diameter with hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose as a binding agent.

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But the nutrition labels of many highly processed plant-based products require a Google search to decipher: methyl cellulose, modified starch, soy protein concentrate.

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It has also added methyl cellulose, a plant-based binder, to make the burger juicier.

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Impossible patties are made from soy protein concentrate and potato protein, with fat from coconut and sunflower oils, all bound together with methyl cellulose, a laxative.

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These include xanthan gum, a strong, glue-like substance also used in the oil industry to thicken drilling mud, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, also used in the construction industry for its water-retaining properties in cement, and tapioca starch, a nutritionally depleted, chemically modified starch from the cassava root.

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