Forms of Chitin Substitutable for Colloidal Chitin on Fermentative Production of N, N′-Diacetylchitobiose

Abstract

Colloidal chitin is the most suitable form of chitin for the production of N, N'-diacetylchitobiose [(GlcNAc)2] by Bacillus licheniformis X-7 u, but it is unsuitable for use in mass production because it is prepared with difficulty. We therefore sought forms of chitin that are easily prepared and that can be used instead of colloidal chitin. Chitin prepared by the soaking of chitin film from prawn pleon cuticle in 25% HC1 at 20°C for 1 hr gave satisfactory results. When strain X-7u was cultivated with the HCl-swollen chitin, 5.1 g/l (GlcNAc)2accumulated within 4 days. The (GlcNAc)2yields based on the starting material, the chitin film, when HCl-swollen chitin and colloidal chitin were used were 32% and 35%, respectively. © 1991, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.