Abstract

EXTRACTION OF CHITOSAN FROM CRAB SHELL, SYNTHESIS OF PVA BASED GEL AND ITS ANTIMICROBIAL STUDIES

A. Sajina, P. Chitra, R. Ragunathan and Jesteena Johney*

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Abstract

This study focuses on the extraction of chitosan from fresh water crab shells and its evaluation for antimicrobial and antitextile properties. A total of 74 g of chitosan was successfully extracted from 100 g of crab shell powder. The extracted chitosan exhibited a yellowish-orange appearance, consistent with previously reported characteristics in similar studies. Carbohydrate estimation confirmed the presence of carbohydrates in the chitosan sample, indicated by the formation of a blue-green color complex when treated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The antimicrobial assessment revealed notable efficacy of the chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) against various bacterial and fungal strains. The NPs demonstrated inhibition zones of 19 mm against Klebsiella pneumoniae, 22 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 19 mm against Staphylococcus aureus. For antifungal activity, the NPs showed inhibition zones of 14 mm against Aspergillus niger and 16 mm against Aspergillus terreus. In both assays, the NPs displayed superior inhibition compared to standard discs and DMSO controls. In the drug loading and broth assay, a concentration-dependent increase in cell death was observed, ranging from 24.69% at 200 μL to 60.40% at 1000 μL. These results highlight the potential of crab shell-derived chitosan as an effective antimicrobial agent with promising applications in biomedical and textile industries.

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