Extraction and Characterization of Chitin and Chitosan from F.solani CBNR BKRR, Synthesis of their Bionanocomposites and Study of their Productive Application

Chitin and chitosan have versatile biological activities and chemical applications and as such have been found to be immensely popular as biomedical addictives. F.solani CBNR KKRR, isolated from the marine soils of Pichavaram, Tamil Nadu was used for the economic production of Chitin and Chitosan using three different media-Sabouraud sucrose broth, Hesseltine and Anderson medium, Andrade et al medium. The polysaccharides were extracted by alkali-acid treatment, and characterized by infrared spectroscopy. The highest growth rate was with Andarde et al medium with a mycelial dry weight of 12.59 g/L. The best yields of the polysaccharides (mg per gram of dry mycelia biomass) are obtained with Sabouraud sucrose broth for chitosan (56.39 mg/g or 5.6%) and for chitin (769 mg/g or 76%) From the SEM image, Chitin AgNP’s exhibited smaller powder particle size. Ag/Chitosan BNCs show strong needle shaped structures. The EDS spectrum of F.solani CBNR BKRR CH AgNP composite shows the peaks of C K, O K, Cl K and Ag L. The atomic ratio of was found to be 83:13:1.04:2.44 wt %. The EDS spectrum of F.solani CBNR KRRR CS AgNP composite shows the peaks of C K, O K, and Ag L. The atomic ratio of was found to be 24.67:16.46:58.87 wt %.The antibacterial activity of Chitin and Chitosan solution was found to be less than the Bionanocomposites indicating that the presence of the silver ion thereby increases the antibacterial strength of the polysaccharides. Chitin AgNP showed 98.5% dye inhibition in 72 hours and Chitosan AgNP showed 93.5% inhibition. KeywordsF.solani, Chitin, Chitosan, Pichavaram, FTIR, SEM, EDS, antibacterial activity, Methylene blue INTRODUCTION Chitin, a homopolymer of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) residues linked by ß-1-4 bonds, is the most widespread renewable natural resource following cellulose [1]. The main source of chitin is crustacean waste, which is also the main cell wall material in most fungi [2]. Chitin and its derivatives have high economic value owing to their versatile biological activities and agrochemical applications [3].The natural antibacterial and/or antifungal characteristics of chitosan and its derivatives have resulted in their use in commercial disinfectants. Both chitin and chitosan have been shown to activate the defence system of a host and prevent the invasion of pathogens [4]. From a technological point of view, it would be quite profitable to recover the by-products released from seafood processing because of its richness in compounds of high value added such as chitin products. Infrared spectroscopy can be used to investigate the composition of a chitin sample [5]. Due to its simplicity, relative instrument availability, and independence of sample solubility, IR spectroscopy is one of the most studied methods for characterisation of chitin and chitosan [6]. The chemical properties of Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are significantly different from those of silver ingot or Ag ion, and thus Ag NPs have been studied by many researchers due to their wide variety of potential applications [7]. The special and unique properties of Ag NPs can be attributed to their smaller size and the larger specific surface area relative to bulk materials, and many preparation processes have been proposed for controlling the physical and/or chemical characteristics of Ag NPs. Most dyes used in the pigmentation of textiles, paper, leather, ceramics, cosmetics, inks and food-processing products are derived from azo dyes, which are characterised by the presence of one or more azo groups (N=N-) in their structure [8]. Approximately 15% of the dyes produced worldwide are lost within waste water during synthesis and processing. This waste represents a great hazard to human and environmental health due to the toxicity of azo dyes [9]. Hence an efficient system for degradation of these dyes is required which is eco-friendly. The present paper aims to investigate chitin and chitosan production using F.solani CBNR KRRR grown in three different traditional culture media, synthesis of their bionanocomposites , comparative of the antibacterial activity of the polysaccharides and AgNP’s against MDR pathogens and their ability to degrade the dye-methylene blue. MATERIAL AND METHODS Isolation and characterization of Marine fungus Collection of Samples Pichavaram (Lat.11428’E; Long.79798`E), Cuddalore (dt) of Tamil nadu is home to the second largest Mangrove forest in the world, is rich in Avicennia officinalis, Rhizophora mucaronata, Acanthus illicifoliu and Excoecaria agallocha plants. Marine Mangrove sediments were collected from rhizosphere as well as non rhizosphere region of various parts of Pichavaram. The surface layer of the sediment was removed and the central portions of sediments were transferred into sterile plastic bags. Isolation of fungi B. Krishnaveni et al /J. Pharm. Sci. & Res. Vol. 7(4), 2015, 197-205