Current trends in fungal biosynthesis of chitin and chitosan

By Mostafa M. Abo Elsoud, E. M. El Kady. Bulletin of the National Research Centre, 2019

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BackgroundChitin and chitosan are natural biopolymers found in shell of crustaceans, exoskeletons of insects and mollusks, as well as in the cell walls of fungi. These biopolymers have versatile applications in various fields such as biomedical, food industry, and agriculture. These applications are back to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, strong antibacterial effect, and non-toxicity.OutcomesThe fungal biopolymers have many features that made them more advantageous than those biopolymers from seafood waste origin. Chitin and chitosan are not components of cell wall in all fungal species. The fungal classes of Basidiomycetes, Ascomycetes, Zygomycetes, and Deuteromycetes are known to contain chitin and chitosan in their cell walls. The amounts and characters of fungal biopolymers are affected by many factors so they should be optimized before increasing the scale of production. The statistical design of experiments is the most recent and advanced approach for optimization of various factors with more reliable results.ConclusionAlthough extensively studied, further studies concerning fungal chitin and chitosan should be conducted in order to be sure of safety for human use.

Subfields: Biomaterials, Molecular Biology

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