23 March 2012

PhD Completion Seminar - Characterization of allergenic and antimicrobial properties of chitin and chitosan

Tuesday 27 March 2012 – Presented by Minh Xuan Hong Nguyen

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Abstract

Crustacean shell waste contains 20 – 30 % chitin which can be extracted to produce more valuable products such as chitosan, glucosamine and their derivatives. Due to their natural source, they are non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible. They have been applied in a wide range of industry, especially in the production of functional foods, pharmaceutics and cosmetics due to their binding, film-forming and antimicrobial properties. Although the safety of these products is highly appreciated, some residual proteins from shrimp shell such as tropomyosin and arginine kinase could remain in these products and cause allergic reactions among consumers. Therefore, chitin and chitosan properties must be characterized in detail before applying them, especially in the food and drug industry.

At present, chitosan-based biofilms are already used as a new material for food packaging. However, there is still very limited research in the application of chitosan film for instant food products due to its poor solubility in water. Therefore, it is necessary to mix chitosan with other water-soluble material to apply it in instant food casing.

This study investigates the allergenicity of residual shrimp proteins in chitin and chitosan samples. Antimicrobial property of normal chitosan was examined and compared with purified chitosan. The film-forming property of chitosan and some biopolymers was also characterized to formulate a biofilm which is soluble and sealable to make spice sachets for instant noodles..

Supervisors

Primary supervisor

• Professor Peter Smooker

Secondary supervisors

• A/Professor Andreas Lopata
• Dr The Dong Phan (Nong Lam University, HCMC. VN)

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Seminar coordinator: Leeanne Bickford Tel. +61 3 9925 7106