Chitosan Preservative

The global food industry is under increasing pressure to implement sustainable methods that resonate with the environment while upholding food safety and quality standards. Facilitating the development of biopolymers, preservatives associated with plastics are highly effective aids of shelf life extension but come under fire for their health and environmental impact. To counter this issue, chitosan is coming fourth as a game changer. It is a non-toxic and biodegradable polymer of shellfish waste that, like many other polymers, can easily be processed into value added products.

Our company works on chitosan preservative development because it is one of the leaders in biopolymer technologies and this field has a lot of potential. Chitosan has unique properties, such as antimicrobial and antioxidant activity and the ability to form thin films, which enable it to improve and extend food preservation without increasing food waste or dependency on conventional plastics. This assists in addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) alongside the ever growing necessity to develop naturally occurring high-performance food preservatives.

Fig 1. Chitosan-Based Materials in Food Packaging (Liu T., 2022)

Our service on chitosan preservative development specializes in the design, optimization, and application of chitosan solutions for food preservation. We biotechnologically process chitin, which is a plentiful byproduct of shellfish waste, into high-purity chitosan derivatives with tailored properties. For instance, we provide antimicrobial coatings, edible films, and bioactive additives, all of which serve different food industry purposes. We strive to balance functional and legal requirements with innovative research and efficient techniques in production while still being environmentally responsible.

Technical Principles

The effectiveness of chitosan as a preservative derives from its unique biochemical characteristics: Scope for Industrial Application. Agricultural Waste Utilization.

• Cationic Nature: The amino groups present in chitosan have a positive charge which means they can interact with the microbial cell membrane which is negatively charged and therefore will disrupt permeability leading to cell lysis.
• Chelating Capacity: Chitosan inhibits enzymatic browning and lipid oxidation in food products by binding to the metal ions.
• Film-Forming Ability: Chitosan can be combined with polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and bioactive additives like essential oils forming flexible oxygen barrier films, which are used in retarding spoilage microorganisms.

• pH Sensitivity: The antimicrobial activity and solubility of chitosan is dependent on the pH which means it can be released in specific food matrices.

With our unique fermentation and deacetylation methods, we have been able to further enhance the functional properties of chitosan materials and achieve more than 95% deacetylation degree and tunable molecular weights for optimal performance.

Technical Characteristics

There is more than one strategic advantage to utilizing our chitosan-based preservatives:

• Wide-Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity: Preservatives are effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria's microbial load and fungi, as well as yeasts, by up to 6-log cycles.
• Enhanced Mechanical Properties: The films possess tensile strength (12-23MPa) and elongation at break (28-46%) that are comparable to polyethylene.

• Antioxidant Functionality: The ability of the preservatives to delay lipid oxidation in fatty foods ranges between 16%-76%.
• Biodegradability: The breakdown of chitosan is natural making it effective against plastic waste and microplastic pollution.
• Customizability: Chitosan modifications like carboxylation and nanoparticle synthesis can be tailored to suit specific food types like high-moisture cheeses and ready-to-eat meals.

Technology Classification

• Edible Films and Coatings: Packaging for cheese and meat includes PVA, fibroin, or essential oils for the fresh produce region of the composite films.
• Bacteriocin-Loaded Systems: For active packaging, chitosan matrices with natural antimicrobial peptides integrated into them.
• Nanoparticle Encapsulation: Antioxidants and antimicrobials are delivered to liquid/semi-solid food through chitosan nanoparticles (50-200nm) for targeted delivery.

Application Areas

• Dairy Products: Contain Listeria spp. in soft cheeses and polyethylene wrap increases shelf life by 30%.
• Meat and Seafood: Antimicrobial coatings prevent bacterial growth in chilled meats and smoked salmon by 90%.
• Fresh Produce: To slow down the spoilage of fruits and vegetables apply antioxidant containing edible films.
• Ready-to-Eat Meals: The safety of many processed foods is improved using pH-responsive chitosan nanoparticles.

Environmental Benefits

• Waste Minimization: The use of shellfish by-products helps reduce waste in landfills.
• Plastic Reduction: There is a reduction of polyethylene used in food packaging with the use of biodegradable films.
• Reduction of Environmental Impact: Fermentation with low energy costs leads to lower carbon dioxide emissions compared to chemical eluates of chitin.

Our Services

We provide customers with tailored end-to-end service packages:

• Custom Preservative Design: Forensic formulation of chitosan derivatives with a defined degree of acetylation, viscosity, and bioactivity.
• Process Optimization: Scale-up for the fermentative chitin conversion and film production.
• Analytical Testing: Assessment of antimicrobial activity, mechanical properties, and sensory attributes using sophisticated analytical techniques.
• Regulatory Compliance: Consultancy on food contact international legislation.
• Sensive and Shelf-Life Studies: Acceptance testing of the product and monitoring preservation in real time.

Company Service Advantages

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With the shift in the food industry towards adopting sustainable practices, chitosan chitosan is leading the "green" technologies of preservation. Our operational challenges in the food industry: chitosan preservative development service solves issues of operational excellence and environmental responsibility simultaneously. By providing scientifically sound, scalable, and ethical solutions, we create preservatives that are performance based but also ethically aligned with global sustainability standards. Join us in transforming food preservation to a realm where innovation and responsibility coalesce.

How to Place an Order

Our products and services are for research use only and cannot be used for any clinical purposes.