Abstract
Chitin nanofibers were isolated from the cell walls of five different types of mushrooms by the removal of glucans, minerals, and proteins, followed by a simple grinding treatment under acidic conditions. The Chitin nanofibers thus obtained have a uniform structure and a long fiber length. The width of the nanofibers depended on the type of mushrooms and varied in the range 20 to 28 nm. The Chitin nanofibers were characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR spectra, and X-ray diffraction profiles. The results showed that the α-chitin crystal structure was maintained and glucans remained on the nanofiber surface.
Highlights
Chitin occurs mainly in the exoskeleton of shellfish and insects and the cell wall of fungi [1]
Five different species of mushrooms: Pleurotus eryngii, Agaricus bisporus, Lentinula edodes, Grifola frondosa, and Hypsizygus marmoreus widely used for human consumption were selected to isolate chitin nanofibers in this study
The chitin nanofibers were obtained from these mushrooms by a series of purification and chemical treatments described in Figure 2 [9] to remove associated components: proteins, pigments, glucans, and minerals
Summary
Chitin occurs mainly in the exoskeleton of shellfish and insects and the cell wall of fungi [1]. Since edible mushrooms consist mainly of chitin, glucans, and proteins present in the cell wall, they are a good source of dietary fiber. We applied the isolation method of chitin nanofibers from crab and prawn shells to fruiting bodies of mushrooms. Considering the above composition of the mushroom cell wall, we have developed a method to isolate and study the chitin in the form of nanofibers of homogeneous width from five different varieties of mushrooms. These dietary nano-sized fibers obtained from cultivable and edible mushrooms will have much scope as novel functional food ingredients
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