With the continuous development of glycobiology in recent years, chitin, chitosan and chitooligosaccharides have been discovered and put into research and development, especially in the field of nutraceuticals. So what is the relevance and what is the difference between these three? Today we will introduce them in detail

I. Product introduction

1, Chitin.

Chitin: light beige to white, soluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid/phosphoric acid/sulfuric acid/acetic acid, insoluble in alkali and other organic solvents, also insoluble in water. It is a deacetyl derivative of chitin (Chitosan derivatives), chitosan (chitosan) is insoluble in water, soluble in some dilute acid.

Chitosan was the first product to be used in practice and the first "functional food" to be approved in Japan. Chitin is partially decomposed by chitinase and lysozyme in the gastrointestinal tract of the human body, so its absorption rate is extremely low, and the dosage of chitin is large, resulting in more than 70% of reactions. Chemical treatment of chitin to remove the acetyl group, it becomes chitosan.

2, Chitosan

Chitosan (chitosan), chemical name for polyglucosamine (1-4)-2-amino-B-D glucose, by chitin (chitin) through the deacetylation of the role of obtaining, in general, the N-acetyl group to remove more than 55% can be called chitosan. Chitosan is made from chitin and then refined, insoluble in water, soluble in dilute acid, can be absorbed by the body. Chitosan is a primary derivative of chitosan. Its chemical structure is a high molecular alkaline polysaccharide polymer with cation, and has unique physicochemical properties and biological activation function.

Chitosan has been soluble in dilute acids, a step forward from chitin. However, chitin and chitosan are both large molecules, with molecular weights ranging from several hundred thousand to several million, and both are insoluble in water.

Chitin is deacetylated to get chitosan, and then after further degradation, it becomes chitosan.

3、Chitosan Oligosaccharide

Chitosan Oligosaccharide: also called Chitosan Oligosaccharide, Oligosaccharide Chitosan, is a kind of oligosaccharide product with polymerization degree between 2~20, molecular weight ≤3200Da, obtained by degrading chitosan by special biological enzyme technology, it is a low molecular weight product with better water-solubility, large functional role and high biological activity. It has many unique functions such as higher solubility, fully soluble in water, easily absorbed and utilized by organisms, etc., which are not found in chitosan, and its function is 14 times of chitosan.

Simply speaking, chitosan is an oligosaccharide obtained by degrading chitin or chitosan, which is an upgraded product of chitin and chitosan products! It has low molecular weight, good water solubility, large functional role and easier to be absorbed.

The specific difference between chitosan oligosaccharide and chitosan 

1. Molecular weight difference: Chitosan oligosaccharide is a brand new product obtained from chitosan by special biological enzyme technology, with molecular weight below 3000 Da; Chitosan is a partially deacetylated product of chitin, with molecular weight of 50-1 million.

2. Difference in solubility: chitosan oligosaccharide has lower molecular weight and can be completely dissolved in water; chitosan can only be dissolved in dilute acid solution. The enhancement of water solubility is an important factor affecting some physiological activities of chitosan oligosaccharide, only dissolved in water, it can be absorbed and utilized by organisms and show biological activities, so chitosan is more easily absorbed by human body, animals and plants.

3. Functional difference: Chitosan oligosaccharide with molecular weight lower than 5000 has the ability to impede the growth and reproduction of pathogenic bacteria, promote protein synthesis, activate plant cells, and thus promote the rapid growth of plants.

The excellent performance of chitosan oligosaccharide

Chitosan oligosaccharide changes the soil flora and promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms. Chitosan oligosaccharide also induces plant disease resistance and produces immunity and killing effect on many kinds of fungi, bacteria and viruses.

1、Improve the soil environment

Chitosan oligosaccharide is a nutrient source and health care product for soil beneficial microorganisms, it is a good medium for soil beneficial microorganisms, and it has a good recognition effect on soil microbiota. The mass propagation of microorganisms can promote the formation of soil granular structure, improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil, enhance the permeability and water retention and fertilizer retention capacity, so as to provide a good soil microbiological environment for the root system, so that a variety of nutrients in the soil is in an effective activation state, which can improve the nutrient utilization rate and reduce the amount of chemical fertilizers. Chitosan oligosaccharide molecular structure contains amino acids, and trace elements such as iron, copper, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, etc. can produce chelating effect, so that the effective state of nutrients of trace elements in the fertilizer increases, while making the soil-fixed nutrients of trace elements released for crop absorption and utilization, thus improving fertilizer efficiency.

2、Inducing plant disease resistance

As an excitation factor, chitosan oligosaccharide can effectively induce plant disease resistance and enhance plant defense against diseases. Inducing the production of plant resistance proteins Chitosan can induce plants to produce chitinase, chitosanase and 1,3-glucanase, the substrates of these enzymes are the main components of the fungal cell wall, chitinase, especially in the joint action with 1,3-glucanase can inhibit the growth of fungi in vitro. Induction of lignin formation Lignin is a major component of the secondary cell wall of plant vascular tissues, which is inherently resistant to microbial degradation. Chitosan oligosaccharide can induce plants to lignify around the point where they are infested by pathogens, forming a physical barrier, thus preventing or delaying the growth and spread of pathogenic bacteria to the surrounding normal tissues, and enhancing the plant's resistance to disease. Alteration of phenolic metabolism in plants Phenols accumulate in large quantities at the point of infestation of plants with pathogens. Phenols are fungicidal substances and precursors for lignin formation, so an increase in phenols in the plant body not only fights the disease itself, but also promotes lignification of the pathogen-infested area, thus increasing the plant's disease resistance. Inducing plants to produce guaiacoglucan Guaiacoglucan is a kind of polysaccharide rich in 1,3-glucose. When plants are infested by pathogens, they often deposit guaiacoglucan between cells, thus dividing the infected area from normal cells and forming a physical barrier as in the case of lignification.

3、Control of plant diseases

Chitosan oligosaccharide has a better induced anti-disease effect on the fungal diseases whose cell wall is chitin, which is mainly realized through the following two mechanisms:

① As chitosan oligosaccharide is a derivative of chitin, it can interact with the negatively charged side chains of biomolecules on the cell surface of pathogenic bacteria to form polymers, which can affect the pathogenic bacteria and thus inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

② chitosan oligosaccharide can also directly enter the nucleus of the pathogenic bacteria, and DNA combined with the pathogenic bacteria by affecting the mRNA and protein synthesis to inhibit its growth.

4, regulating plant growth

• Promote the growth of the root system It can promote the early germination of plant seeds. The root system is developed, the number of root hairs, fibrous roots and secondary roots is greatly increased, the fertilizer and water absorption capacity of the plant is enhanced, the drought resistance and the ability of resistance to collapse are strengthened, the immunity is enhanced, and the purpose of achieving strong and fruitful results is achieved.
  

• Activate the inter-root state Chitosan can fully activate the inter-root state, dissolve the nutrient molecules, quickly form soil solution, so that nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients can be fully and effectively absorbed by plants.
  

• Shrinking and thickening It can develop roots and promote stems, shorten stems and make them thick and vigorous, which is conducive to the maximum supply of nutrients to the fruits, in which trace elements are easily absorbed by the fruits under the sting of chitosan, thus increasing the content of proteins and amino acids, and fundamentally improving the quality.
  

• Improvement of crop quality Chitosan oligosaccharide can increase crop yield, improve crop quality, restore its natural flavor, storage and transportation resistance, and reduce pesticide residues.