Effects of hydroxypropyl degree on physiochemical activities of chitosan from squid pens

Chitosan was prepared by alkaline N-deacetylation of β-chitin and hydroxypropyl derivatives with different degrees of substitution (DS) were synthesized. It was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and elemental analysis. The DS of hydroxypropyl chitosan (HPCS) calculated by an element analyzer were 0.42, 0.75, 1.20, 1.82 and 2.25. HPCS showed better foam capacity and stability than that of chitosan, and the effectiveness correlated well with the DS of HPCS. The highest bile acid-binding capacity of all five HPCS reached 56.02 mg/g, which was 4.0-fold higher than that of chitosan. The scavenging ability of HPCS against hydroxyl and ABTS radicals improved with increasing concentration. The correlation between the hydroxypropyl content (DS) of HPCS and scavenging ABTS radical ability was positive. The hydroxyl radicals scavenging activity of HPCS correlated well with its increasing concentration, and EC50 values were below 12.5 mg/mL. These results indicated that hydroxypropylation is a possible approach to obtain chitosan derivatives with desirable physiochemical properties.