Chitin and chitosan as functional biopolymers for industrial applications

Abstract

Chitin research and development seems to be under intensive progress during the last years. Attractive properties of chitin and its derivative—chitosan, for example, biological behavior, and development of their applications caused increased interest of scientists and companies. More and more practical development has been applied on the market, mainly in medicine and food. Firstly, this chapter reviews processing, isolation, and purification of chitin/chitosan. Then it discusses applicable forms of chitin and chitosan and chitosan derivatives. The main part of this chapter contains applications of chitin and chitosan in food, medicine, agriculture, bionanotechnology, and cosmetics. Future trends in chitin and its derivatives in medicine are presented and the end of this book includes research conducted within the EPNOE.