Chitosan glucose complex – A novel food preservative

Chitosan glucose complex (CGC), a modified form of chitosan was prepared by heating chitosan with glucose. Fluorescence and the browning reaction of CGC indicated the presence of the Maillard reaction product (MRP). CGC showed excellent antioxidant activity while chitosan or glucose alone did not have any significant activity (p < 0.05). The IC50 value of CGC for DPPH radical scavenging was 51.1 μg/ml. The efficacy of CGC in scavenging hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals was also very high but it showed a low reducing power. The antimicrobial activity of CGC was similar to chitosan against E. coli, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, the common food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration of CGC or chitosan was 0.05%. Addition of CGC to lamb meat increased its shelf life by more than 2 weeks during chilled storage. It also enhanced the shelf life of pork cocktail salami to 28 days. CGC is endowed with both antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and thus is a promising novel preservative for various food formulations.