Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activity of Chitosan Extracted from Crustacean Exoskeleton

The primary component of crustacean exoskeletons, a significant byproduct of the seafood processing industry, is chitin, a naturally occurring polysaccharide. Chitin is an excellent precursor for the synthesis of chitosan because of its rigidity and biocompatibility. The shrimp's exoskeleton was ground into a powder and put through a series of treatments, including as deproteinization, demineralization, and decolorization, to produce chitin in the form of a colorless, white powder. To produce chitosan, the acquired chitin was treated to deacetylation. Its antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial qualities were examined in the study, which shed light on its potential uses in medicine. By using inhibitory zone measurements to test chitosan against bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella species, antimicrobial activity was evaluated. By measuring the degree of fungal growth inhibition, its antifungal effectiveness against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans was investigated. The chosen bacterial and fungal strains were significantly inhibited by chitosan.