Biological effects and extraction processes used to obtain marine chitosan

Chitin is the main constituent of crustacean exoskeletons. Traditional chemical processes for its recovery create a disposal problem, due to the large amounts of toxic waste produced. This chapter reviews the current methods of obtaining chitin, chitosan, and chitooligosaccharides and describes alte...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Montilla, Antonia, Ruiz-Matute, Ana I., Corzo, Nieves
Tipo de recurso: otro
Estado:Versión enviada para evaluación y publicación
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/126740
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/126740
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Chitin
Food
Chitosan
Biological properties
Chitooligosaccharides
Descripción
Sumario:Chitin is the main constituent of crustacean exoskeletons. Traditional chemical processes for its recovery create a disposal problem, due to the large amounts of toxic waste produced. This chapter reviews the current methods of obtaining chitin, chitosan, and chitooligosaccharides and describes alternatives, such as the use of proteolytic enzymes, fermentation with selected microorganisms, ultrasonication and microwave treatment, and the use of ionic liquids. Methods for obtaining chitosan based on alkaline or enzymatic deacetylation of chitin and strategies for increasing its solubility in water, such as hydrolysis of the glycosidic bonds in chitosan-releasing chitooligosaccharides or the formation of different types of chitosan derivative, are also given. Chitosan's biological activities, such as antioxidant, hypocholesterolemic, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, prebiotic, and ion-binding activities, are presented, as are its potential applications in food, medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, and cosmetics.