Extraction of Chitosan with Different Physicochemical Properties from Cunninghamella echinulata (Thaxter) Thaxter for Biological Applications

The conventional production of chitosan from crustaceans has many limitations. An attempt was made to optimize chitosan production from fungi. Soil fungi were isolated, identified, and screened for high glucosamine content. Among the fungal isolates tested, Cunninghamella echinulata showed high glucosamine content. The biomass production of C. echinulata was standardized under different growth parameters. The physicochemical characterization of derived chitosan isolates was distinctive and diverged as supported by the FT-IR, molecular mass distribution, degree of deacetylation, and crystallinity. Molecular mass distribution ranged from 1 to 9 mers. The degree of deacetylation was observed to be maximum in C6 (80.88%), which increased with the increase in alkali concentration. In the chitosan isolate, C1 was non-toxic to Vero cells up to 250 µg/mL. In the physicochemical and functional properties of chitosan isolate, C1 was found to be unique and diverse; further detailed investigations on this isolate might help to develop some biomaterials with improved biocompatibility.