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Chitosan as an antimicrobial agent
Chitosan as an antimicrobial agent ingredients & additives 32 Food Technology International Despite certain hurdles, such as limited efficacy and legislative problems, chitosan has ...
Chitosan as an antimicrobial agent ingredients & additives 32 Food Technology International Despite certain hurdles, such as limited efficacy and legislative problems, chitosan has enormous potential to improve the quality and safety of our food. Jonathan Rhoades and Bob Rastall, School of Food Biosciences, The University of Reading T hroughout history, mankind has been striving to improve the safety and stability of food.
What began in an empirical way with a few simple processes such as smoking and salting is now a precise science, and modern food technologists have a wide range of preservative compounds at their disposal. Despite the undoubted benefits, however, there are concerns over the long-term health effects of many food preservatives in use today. Modern consumers are increasingly concerned about the health implications (be they real or imagined) of the foods they eat, as evidenced by the growing trend for additive-free and organic produce. There is, thus, both a commercial and a public health incentive to develop novel natural antimicrobial systems for use in foods and food-related applications, and to reduce dependence on traditional preservatives. Worldwide, considerable research effort is dedicated to achieving this objective. Wide range of applications Chitosan is a -1,4-linked polymer of glucosamine (2-amino 2-deoxy- D -glucose) and lesser amounts of N -acetylglucosamine. It is formed by the deacetylation of chitin (polyN -acetyl glucosamine), an abundant byproduct of the crab and shrimp processing industries.
The distinction between chitin and chitosan is somewhat blurred; some maintain that chitin that is more than 50 per cent deacetylated is chitosan, whereas others define chitosan as soluble in 1 per cent acetic acid, chitin being insoluble1. Most commercially available chitosan preparations are more than 85 per cent deacetylated, and have molecular weights between 100kDa and 1000kDa.
Source: www.fpi-international.com
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