Sustainable biopolymer design: extraction of chitin and chitosan using natural deep eutectic solvents with improved antibacterial features

Step into a realm where organic mushrooms become powerful allies in health and sustainability. This study shows the extraction of chitin and chitosan from organic mushroom using green solvents, highlighting their promising antimicrobial, biocompatibility, and antioxidant features compared to the chemical method. • Biopolymers were extracted from mushrooms using natural deep eutectic solvents. • Highly pure chitin and chitosan with enhanced functional properties were obtained. • Dose-dependent antibacterial activity was displayed against S. aureus and E. coli . • Chitin and Chitosan exhibited high viability in L929 fibroblast cells. • Mushroom-derived bipolymers offer a promising alternative to commercial ones. The extraction of biopolymers using natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) offers a promising approach for developing sustainable and biocompatible materials for biomedical applications. In this study, a novel and environmentally friendly process has been developed for extracting chitin and chitosan from organic Agaricus bisporus ( A. bisporus ) mushrooms, which serves as a readily available and renewable resource. NADES not only enhances the extraction efficiency but also preserves the structural integrity of the biopolymers. The characteristics of these biopolymers were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric (DTG/TGA) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) techniques. By optimizing the NADES extraction conditions, high-purity chitin (98.58 %) and chitosan (98.69 %) were achieved, surpassing the purity levels achieved by traditional chemical methods. NADES-extracted chitosan exhibited a remarkable degree of deacetylation (DD) of up to 94.22 %, and a crystallinity index (CrI) of up to 61.77 %, highlighting its enhanced functionality for biomedical applications. Moreover, the NADES-derived biopolymers showed excellent biocompatibility with L929 fibroblast cells. They exhibited dose-dependent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) and exhibited promising antioxidant and biodegradability properties.