Three-Step Enzymatic Remodeling of Chitin into Bioactive Chitooligomers.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Enzymology
• Sustainable Agriculture

Background:

• Chitin is an abundant biopolymer and waste product from the food industry.
• Chitooligomers possess valuable bioactive properties but are not readily available.
• Efficient methods for chitin transformation are needed for sustainable applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel enzymatic process for producing specific chitooligomers from waste chitin.
• To achieve a targeted degree of polymerization (DP) from 6 to 11.
• To explore the potential of these chitooligomers as natural pesticides.

Main Methods:

• A three-step enzymatic process was employed.
• Engineered fungal chitinase from *Talaromyces flavus* for initial hydrolysis.
• A high-yielding β-N-acetylhexosaminidase variant (Y445N) from *Aspergillus oryzae* for chain extension.
• Enzymatic deacetylation using *Bacillus subtilis* peptidoglycan deacetylase (BsPdaC).

Main Results:

• Efficient transformation of waste chitin into chitooligomers with DP ranging from 6 to 11.
• Yields of chitooligomers reached up to 57%.
• Successful enzymatic deacetylation of chitooligomers with DP 6 and 7 was achieved.

Conclusions:

• The developed enzymatic approach offers a sustainable and feasible route for chitin valorization.
• The produced bioactive chitooligomers are potentially useful as natural pesticides.
• This method supports ecological and sustainable agricultural practices.