Isolation and Biological Characterization of Chitin Deacetylase-Producing Microorganisms

Abstract

The possibility of producing chitosan by enzymatic conversion of insoluble polymer chitin was investigated. Microorganisms with the potential to produce chitin deacetylase (CDA) were isolated from soil and identified based on 16S rDNA sequences. Significant CDA enzyme activity was investigated using colloidal chitin as a substrate. Colloidal chitin was processed and the degree of deacetylation (DD) was determined to verify conversion to chitosan in yields of approximately 1.5~ 4.0% (w/w). Among the three strains, the bacterium SH-03 with the highest CDA activity was identified as Penibacillus sp. Furthermore, the DD of colloidal chitin by the treatment SH-02, which was identified as P. lautus, was evaluated according to its CDA reactivity with other strains. Our results suggested that the three strains isolated from soil could potentially produce CDA and, based on their enzymatic properties, suggested the possibility of converting chitin in the polymer state into chitosan.