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Antimicrobial Use Of Native And Enzymatically Degraded Chitosans For Seafood Applications, Todd Andrew Nicholas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Millions of pounds of crab and shrimp shell waste are created every year by the seafood industry. This waste is very resistant to biodegradation and disposal is problematic. Crustacean shells are composed mainly of chitin that can be converted to chitosan by deacetylation. Many current shelf life extension and pathogen inhibition methods employ the use of various chemical preservatives. Chitosan, an abundant natural polysaccharide, possesses antimicrobial as well as functional properties that may be useful in improving quality of stored foods. These properties may be influenced by a number of factors that must be studied before determining the most useful …