Preparation of a crude chitosanase from blue crab viscera as well as its application in the production of biologically active chito-oligosaccharides from shrimp shells chitosan

Abstract In this study, a digestive chitosanase from blue crab ( Portunus segnis ) viscera was extracted, characterized and applied. The crude chitosanase showed optimum activity at pH 4.0 and 60 °C and retained >80% of its activity over a pH range from 3.0 to 10.0. Subsequently, the crude chitosanase was applied to produce bioactive varying molecular weight ( M w ) and acetylation degree chitosan-depolymerization products (CDP) with specially sequences composition determined by MALDI-TOF MS owing to an endo -cleavage mode. This hydrolysis process allowed to the preparation, after 24 h of incubation at 40 °C, of a low Mw water soluble CDP (H 24h, Mw CDP (C 24h, 142.19 kDa). Following their physicochemical characterization, the functional properties, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of CDP were investigated. Interestingly, as compared to the native chitosan, CDP, especially low M w derivatives (H 24h ) exhibited potent antioxidant activities, while high M w derivatives, especially C 24h , markedly inhibited the growth of all tested bacteria and fungi. These results may provide novel insights into the efficiency of chitosan depolymerisation using the Portunus segnis digestive crude chitosanase as a simple, inexpensive and easily method to produce bioactive chitosan-derivatives and that this bioactivity depends highly on their attractive characteristics.