تطبيقات الكايتوسان في التصنيع الغذائي

الملخص EN

Chitosan is a homogenous cationic biopolymer consisting of glucosamine units derived from chitin which is a major component of shells of crustancean, Insects and fungal cell walls.

Chitosan produced commercially from crab and shrimp outershell wastes .The traditional chitosan production involves deproteinization , demineralization, decororization and partially or fully Deacetylation of acetyl groups.

The physicochemical and functional characteristics of chitosan affected by variation of production methods and crustacean species.

Chitosan has many biological and functional activities including : Antimicrobial activity against bacteria , fungi and yeast , antitumer , lowering cholesterol level in blood, water, fat and dye binding abilities , emulsification, gel formation, chelating of metal ions , edible film-forming property and antioxidant activity.

Applications of chitosan in fields of food processing , nutrition ,chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals and environmental protection have received considerable attention in recent years.

The antimicrobial activity and film-forming property of chitosan make it a potential material of food preservative because it is a coating material of natural origin.

This publication focuses on the application of chitosan for improvement of quality and shelf life of various plant, animal, seafood as well as processed foods.