Monitoring the effects of chitosan on the profile of certain cell wall and membrane biomolecules in the leaves of Eruca vesicaria ssp. sativa through FT-IR spectroscopy

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of chitosan at different molecular weights on the biomolecule profile of cell walls and membranes in Eruca vesicaria ssp. sativa leaves through FT-IR spectroscopy. It was demonstrated that the chitosan treatments could increase membrane destabilization through the elevation of lipid peroxidation and/or membrane fluidity. However, 10 kDa chitosan at 5 mg L−1 treatment was estimated to increase membrane lipid production. The 10 and 100 kDa chitosan treatments at 20 mg L−1 suggested higher protein contents than the other treatments. Chitosan's molecular weight and concentration influenced the relative ratios of functional groups in cell wall lignin. Ten kDa chitosan treatments triggered lignin production better than the other chitosan variants. The results showed that its molecular weight plays a role in the differentiation of chitosan's effects on the biomolecule pattern of E. vesicaria ssp. sativa leaves. However, none of the treatments induced significant changes in the peak positions, indicating that ex vitro chitosan treatment did not induce structural changes in the monitored biomolecules. The results also suggested that 10 kDa chitosan at 5 mg L−1 could be a better option than the other treatments tested, considering reducing the chemical use and cost in the cultivation process of the plant.