Chitosan and chitooligosaccharides from shrimp shell waste: characterization, antimicrobial and shelf life extension...

Chitosan and chitooligosaccharides were extracted from white-leg shrimp shells by chemical treatment. Low molecular weight (13 kDa) and a high degree of deacetylation (54.83%) in chitooligosaccharides led to high water solubility compared to chitosan. Antimicrobial assays indicated that chitosan and chitooligosaccharides exhibited marked inhibitory activity against food-borne pathogenics, spoilage bacterial, and fungal strains tested. However, chitooligosaccharides revealed greater inhibitory effects than chitosan on tested microorganisms. The substitution of flour by chitosan or chitooligosaccharides in bread formulation (1 g/100 g total weight basis) showed antimicrobial effects against Bacillus cereus and Rhizopus sp. growth. Also, the fruity odor in bread containing chitosan or chitooligosaccharides was delayed. Interestingly, the bread containing chitooligosaccharides showed a stronger inhibitory effect against B. cereus and Rhizopus sp. compared to bread containing chitosan and control, where B. cereus and Rhizopus sp. were observed growing on the surface of bread after 4 days of incubation at 30 °C.