Evaluation of α-Chitosan from Crab Shell and β-Chitosan from Squid Gladius Based on Biochemistry Performance

Bailei Li,Bin Bao,Ruihua Guo,Wenhui Wu,Xue Wu

doi:10.3390/app11073183

Abstract

The objective of this study is to innovatively evaluate the biochemistry performance of α-chitosan from Portunus trituberculatus shell and β-chitosan from Illex argentinus squid gladius by using the weighted composite index method, and provide a theoretical basis for better development and utilization of chitosan biomedical materials. To build a composite evaluation system, seven key indicators, including molecular weight (Mw), deacetylation degree (DD), water binding capacity (WBC), fat binding capacity (FBC), thermal stability (TS), primary structure and secondary structure, which significantly affect chitosan biochemical characteristics, were determined and analyzed. The viscosity average Mw of chitosan was in the range of 22.5–377.1 kDa, and the DD was 83.4–97.8%. Thermogravimetric (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses of commercial chitosan (CS), crab chitosan (CSC) and squid chitosan (CSS) showed a downward trend in TS, while WBC and FBC showed an obvious upward trend. FT-IR had a similar profile in peak shape, but the peak position slightly shifted. CD indicated that chitosan maintained the double helix structure and multiple secondary structural elements. The composite weighted index values of CS, CSC and CSS were 0.85, 0.94 and 1.31 respectively, which indicated that the CSS biochemistry performance was significantly better than CSC, and β-chitosan has great potential in biomedical materials.

Highlights

The whole set of index data with an order of magnitude difference need to be performed with the same power root to make them all become values between 0 and 10, so as to get rid of the huge ratio difference caused by the different digital factor magnitude
The cubic root operation was carried out based on the raw data of chitosan molecular weight (Mw), and the quadratic root operation was performed according to the raw data of chitosan water binding capacity (WBC)
The yield of chitosan from different marine organisms was effectively enhanced though the flash explosion “one pot cooking” method of high temperature and pressure, and the physiochemical properties of deacetylation degree (DD), WBC and fat binding capacity (FBC) were significantly improved; this appears to be a new potential way to prepare chitosan with high yield and DD

Summary

Introduction

The biosynthesis of chitin on earth is billions of tons every year, of which marine organisms produce more than one billion tons. It is an inexhaustible biological resource and a natural macromolecular compound with an output second only to cellulose [1]. Chitosan (CS), consisting of β-(1,4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose units, is a natural cationic liner amino polysaccharide polymer deacetylated from chitin [2]. Its molecular chain contains abundant functional amino, N-acetylamino and hydroxyl groups, resulting in relatively active properties [3]. The physiochemical characteristics and biological properties of chitosan are closely influenced by the molecular weight (MW ), deacetylation degree (DD)

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Conclusion