Research progress of microbial chitinase and its application in the preparation of N-acetylglucosamine

Abstract:

Chitin is the second most abundant carbohydrate polymer in nature, but often discarded as wastes. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), the final hydrolysate of chitin, is an important functional amino sugar compound that can be used in medicine, healthcare, and skin care products with a great demand. Therefore, it is of great significance to convert chitin to GlcNAc with high value added. Chitinase can specifically hydrolyze chitin to produce high value-added N-acetylglucosamine, to replace chemical processing strategy, thus reducing environmental pollution and improving product quality. This review briefly introduces specific features and classification of microbial chitinases. Then, the roles, mode and yield of endochitinase, chitobiosidase, and β-N-acetylglucosidase in the production of GlcNAc from chitin in recent years are elaborated, to provide references for enzymatic production of GlcNAc.