Pellis Alessandro, Guebitz Georg M, Nyanhongo Gibson Stephen
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genova, Italy.
Department of Agrobiotechnology, IFA-Tulln, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Ressources and Life Sciences, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
Gels. 2022 Jun 21;8(7):393. doi: 10.3390/gels8070393.
Chitosan, a copolymer of glucosamine and -acetyl glucosamine, is derived from chitin. Chitin is found in cell walls of crustaceans, fungi, insects and in some algae, microorganisms, and some invertebrate animals. Chitosan is emerging as a very important raw material for the synthesis of a wide range of products used for food, medical, pharmaceutical, health care, agriculture, industry, and environmental pollution protection. This review, in line with the focus of this special issue, provides the reader with (1) an overview on different sources of chitin, (2) advances in techniques used to extract chitin and converting it into chitosan, (3) the importance of the inherent characteristics of the chitosan from different sources that makes them suitable for specific applications and, finally, (4) briefly summarizes ways of tailoring chitosan for specific applications. The review also presents the influence of the degree of acetylation (DA) and degree of deacetylation (DDA), molecular weight (M) on the physicochemical and biological properties of chitosan, acid-base behavior, biodegradability, solubility, reactivity, among many other properties that determine processability and suitability for specific applications. This is intended to help guide researchers select the right chitosan raw material for their specific applications.
壳聚糖是葡萄糖胺和N-乙酰葡萄糖胺的共聚物，由几丁质衍生而来。几丁质存在于甲壳类动物、真菌、昆虫以及一些藻类、微生物和某些无脊椎动物的细胞壁中。壳聚糖正成为一种非常重要的原材料，可用于合成广泛应用于食品、医学、制药、医疗保健、农业、工业和环境污染保护等领域的产品。本综述与本期特刊的重点一致，为读者提供了：（1）几丁质不同来源的概述；（2）提取几丁质并将其转化为壳聚糖所用技术的进展；（3）不同来源壳聚糖固有特性的重要性，这些特性使其适用于特定应用；最后，（4）简要总结针对特定应用定制壳聚糖的方法。该综述还介绍了乙酰化程度（DA）、脱乙酰化程度（DDA）、分子量（M）对壳聚糖物理化学和生物学性质、酸碱行为、生物降解性、溶解性、反应活性以及许多其他决定其加工性能和特定应用适用性的性质的影响。这旨在帮助指导研究人员为其特定应用选择合适的壳聚糖原材料。
