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Preparation and Evaluation of Low Molecular Chitosan by Enzymolysis

M. Anita Sharma, P.M.D Sameer, I. Nooral Alam, AN. Rajalakshmi

Objective: The aim of the study is the preparation of low molecular chitosan using enzymolysis technique. Materials and methods: The high molecular weight chitosan was reduced to low molecular weight using cellulase and pectinase. The prepared low molecular weight chitosan was then evaluated for its viscosity average molecular weight (using Ostwald viscometer), physicochemical parameters and Fourier transforms infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) analysis. Results: It was found that cellulase and pectinase in combination effectively degrades chitosan to produce low molecular weight chitosan and there was no significant difference in the structure rather than molecular weight as shown by FTIR-spectroscopic study. Low molecular weight chitosan having viscosity average molecular weight of 15 KDa was prepared by enzymolysis of cellulase and pectinase under 5 hrs of reaction time. Conclusion: Enzymolysis is the effective and safe method in the degradation of the molecular weight of polymers like chitosan.