General Data

Structure of the polymer:

Chitosan, Poly-[ß-(1,4)-2-amino-2-desoxy-D-gluco-pyranose]

- Poly cation when protonated at lower pH,
- Biopolymer based on the world´s second most renewable resource chitin

Properties of different Chitosan types that are suitable for
preparation of hollow beads with the poly anion SEC:

Chitosan:
- mean molecular weight 6,000 g/mol
- weigthed molecular weigth 9,000 g/mol
- solid brown salt
- degree of deacetylation 88 %

Chitosan Food Grade 85:
- solid beige salt,
- viscosity 32 mPa·s (1 % chitosan in 1% acetic acid at 25 °C),
- degree of deacetylation 88 %

Economy

Chitosan for biomedical applications:

Pronova Biomedicals as
Phone Number: +47 22 95 86 50
Fax Number: +47 22 69 64 70
E-Mail: biomedical@pronova.no
Street Address: Gaustadalleen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway

Chitosan is produced in large scale by:

Primex ehf
Location: IS-580 Siglofjordur, Iceland
contact via:
Primex BioChemicals AS (marketing daughter company of Primex ehf)
Bjarte Langhelle, Market Development Manager
PB 254, N-5501 Haugesund, Norway
Phone Number: +47 52 85 78 00
Fax Number: +47 52 85 78 01
E-Mail: bjarte.langhelle@primex.no

Mechanical Properties

Described for hollow beads prepared of Chitosan and Sulfoethyl cellulose (SEC). Please have a look at related page.

Encapsulation Mechanism

Hollow beads with good mechanical stability on basis of polyelectrolyte-polyelectrolyte-complexes (symplexes) could be formed with Sulfo ethylcellulose (SEC) as a polyanion.

Encapsulation Procedure

Described for hollow beads prepared of Chitosan and Sulfoethyl cellulose (SEC). Please have a look at related page.

Biocompatibility

Chitosan is a biopolymer, Chitosan is biodegradable

Shape

In combination with a poly anion, e.g. Sulfoethyl cellulose (SEC), hollow beads of 0.15 to 5 mm can be prepared by dripping techniques.

Modifications

(no entry yet)

Applications

(no entry yet)

Legal Status

- Chitosan is often used in life science products
- some products have food grade quality
- some products are used in pharmaceutical industry

Literature

Muzzarelli, R. A. A. (1977).
Chitin
Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1977

Dautzenberg, H., Jaeger, W., Kötz, J., Philipp, B., Seidel, Ch., and Stscherbina, D.
Polyelectrolytes - Formation, Characterization and Application
Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich, 1994
Chapter 2, p. 11-84, Chapter 7, p. 272-320

Kuehtreiber, W. M., Lanza, R. P. and Chick, W. L. (Eds.)
Cell Encapsulation Technology and Therapeutics
Birkhaeuser, Boston, USA, 1999
Chapter 13, p.151-172

for hollow beads of Chitosan and SEC:

Thomas Rose, Klaus-D. Vorlop
Institute of Technology
Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL)
Bundesallee 50, D - 38116 Braunschweig, Germany
Phone: + 49 531 - 596 511
Fax : + 49 531 - 596 363
e-mail: tec@fal.de