Published Paper Details:

In the present study, the chitosan biopolymer was extracted from the bacterial and fungal species- Pseudomonas fluorescens, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus oryzae. The chitosan was characterized by chemical treatment with iodine and concentrated sulphuric acid, characteristic colour change was observed, it indicates a positive result. The Chitosan yield was maximum in bacteria (Chitosan from Pseudomonas fluorescens 63%) than fungi (Aspergillus niger 20% and Rhizopus oryzae 15%) comparatively after 5 days of fermentation. Characterization by FTIR also confirms similar chitosan functional groups presence in the microbially extracted chitosan. The extracted chitosan was subjected to antimicrobial activity, and it was found that the extracted Chitosan was active against the bacteria (Bacillus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus) and fungi (Candida albicans). In addition to the antimicrobial property of chitosan and drug, a combination of both chitosan and drug show higher antimicrobial activity when compared with the standard chitosan and drug. Thus, microbial chitosan could have potential in medical and agricultural applications. We can conclude that the strains used in the above work are promising sources for chitosan production. By recent developments in pharmaceutical biotechnology, these strains can be genetically manipulated and further optimized for getting better results in producing a quality and economical Chitosan.