Antibacterial activity of ozone-depolymerized crawfish chitosan

Antimicrobial activities of chitosan samples with different molecular weights (1333, 432, 201, 131, and 104 kDa) prepared by ozone treatment were examined against 2 Gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus) and 2 Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescen) to investigate the effect of chitosan's molecular weight and concentration on the inhibition of bacterial growth. Antimicrobial activity of chitosan varied depending on the molecular weight, concentration of chitosan, and type of microorganism. Generally, the effectiveness of the chitosans significantly increased with increasing chitosan concentration, regardless of molecular size and types of bacteria. Chitosan with molecular weights ranging from 104 to 201 kDa showed relatively greater antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and P. fluorescen; whereas for E. coli, intermediate molecular weight chitosan was more effective in growth inhibition than lower or higher molecular weight chitosan particularly at 0.1% concentration.