Effect of Ascorbic Acid Isomeric Forms on Antibacterial Activity of Its Chitosan Salts

Optical rotatory dispersion studies revealed water solutions of chitosan in L- and D-ascorbic acid to exhibit right rotation with anomalous dispersion and left rotation with normal dispersion, respectively. Microbiological investigation and transmission electron microscopy revealed the chitosan salt with D-ascorbic acid to cause deeper destructive changes than pure chitosan, which resulted in higher antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus 209P and Escherichia coli 113-13.