Chitosan have been usually prepared by deacetylation of chitin derived from Crustacea species such as lobster and crab with cone. NaOH. However, such treatment not only deacetylation N-acetyl glucosamine residues but also causes degradation of glycosi...
Chitosan have been usually prepared by deacetylation of chitin derived from Crustacea species such as lobster and crab with cone. NaOH. However, such treatment not only deacetylation N-acetyl glucosamine residues but also causes degradation of glycosidic bonds of chitins, decreasing their molecular weight. Some fungi contains as components of their cell walls. If chitosans prepared from these fungi have unique properties compared with those derived from Crustacea species, they would be valuable for industrial use.
Chitosan was isolated from Aspergillus oryzae. This can be the potential resource for the production of chitosan. The composition of A. oryzae has been investigated. The chemical analysis of A. oryzae was consists chiefly of carbohydrate(42.8%) and protein(42.5%), with smaller amounts of moisture(6.4%), ash(4.9%) and crude fat(3.4%). In the case of isolating of chitosan from A. oryzae, hot alkali extraction(40% NaOH, 120℃, Ihr.) was carried out to remove alkali soluble glucan, protein and lipid. This was followed by acetic acid extraction(0.5 N acetic acid, 95℃, 12hr.) to extract the chitosan. To isolated chitosan from A. oryzae and the affect of the yield of chitosan-glucan complex and glucosamine, the alkaline concentration, the temperature, and the extraction time were examined by ANOVA test. At the 5% significant level, the yield of chitosan-glucan complex was only affected by the extraction time while the glucosamine content was affected by the temperature. The yield of chitosan and chitosan-glucan complex were 5.89%(dry basis) and 20.73%(dry basis) of homogenized A. oryzae, respectively.