Enzymatic production of chitin oligosaccharides developed in China

On April 17^th, 2009, a research project funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China — enzymatic production of chitin oligosaccharides, was checked and accepted by experts assembled by State Oceanic Administration of China.

The project, conducted by Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, was unanimously evaluated as innovative and internationally advanced.

It was found by the research group that Aeromonas caviae is capable of producing multiple chitinases. The genes for the enzymes were cloned and expressed. Effect of the mutation of the enzyme molecules on their binding to and hydrolysis of chitin was studied. Natural chitinases were modified by biotechnological means and used to degrade chitin from crustaceans such as shrimps and crabs to produce low molecular weight chitin oligosaccharides.

At present, a process has been developed for producing high-purity homogeneous chitin oligosaccharides, with the produced chitin disaccharide having a purity of 96.4%. At the same time, a pilot process of enzymatic production of chitin oligosaccharides has been set up, with the content of chitin oligosaccharides in the product mixture being no less than 97.2%.

Chitin oligosaccharides, as a type of biological signal substances, have a variety of biological activities and find extensive use in the treatment of AIDS, cancers and in oral medicine and body healthcare.

Compiled and translated from China Ocean Newspaper dated Apr 24^th, 2009, by Haiping Zhang