Recent development on physical and biological properties of chitosan-based composite films with natural extracts: A review

Abstract

Being credited with the most extensively studied polysaccharide polymer and promising candidate for versatile applications, chitosan has proved to be a standalone material with loads of diversified properties in various structural forms such as blends and composites. Considering the abundance of this biopolymer and its non-toxic nature, exploiting chitosan offers two-folded benefits – environment friendliness and fabrication as per the need. Alkaline deacetylation of chitin produces chitosan as a polymer that can be tuned to a great extent as per the requirement by altering the degree of deacetylation (DDA) and molecular weight (MW). This biopolymer has been widely investigated for potential application in the food and biomedical fields due to its antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Chitosan based composite films incorporated with different natural extracts have shown significant enhancement in the physical and biological activities as reported by different studies. The current study reviews recent developments and investigations of chitosan based biocomposite films incorporated with different natural extracts emphasizing on the improvement of physical and biological properties and its applications.

Chitosan Is the Ideal Resource for Plant Disease Management under Sustainable Agriculture

“…Chitosan properties depend on several very important factors, such as molecular weight, degree of deacetylation, and solubility. The molecular weight of chitosan might influence the crystal size and morphological character of chitosan-based thin-film composites (TFCs) and other products or membranes [9]. The chitosan molecular weight may range between 50 and 2000 kDa depending on the source of chitin, and it has numerous influences on the viscoelastic properties of solutions and hydrated colloidal forms [10].…”

“…The chitosan molecular weight may range between 50 and 2000 kDa depending on the source of chitin, and it has numerous influences on the viscoelastic properties of solutions and hydrated colloidal forms [10]. The degree of deacetylation determines the content of free -NH 2 groups in the polysaccharide and it has an influence on all the functional properties of chitosan [9]. Chitosan can dissolve in aqueous solutions, but it does so more readily in acidic media than in neutral or basic media [11].…”

A double cross-linked hydrogel based on water-soluble chitosan and oxidized hyaluronic acid as an antibacterial dressing

“…22 With antibacterial properties, biocompatibility and degradability, CS has become a research hotspot in the field of biomaterials. 23,24 However, its poor water solubility limits its further application. 25 Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) and quaternary ammonium chitosan (QCS) are water-soluble derivatives prepared by modifying CS molecular chains.…”

Neat Chitosan Porous Materials: A Review of Preparation, Structure Characterization and Application

“…The properties of chitosan depend on its molecular weight and degree of deacetylation [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. A characteristic feature of chitosan is its abundance of hydroxyl (–OH) and amine groups (–NH 2 ).…”