Vitamin D-fortified chitosan films from mushroom waste

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers 2017-07, Vol.167, p.97-104
• Main Authors: Bilbao-Sainz, Cristina, Chiou, Bor-Sen, Williams, Tina, Wood, Delilah, Du, Wen-Xian, Sedej, Ivana, Ban, Zhaojun, Rodov, Victor, Poverenov, Elena, Vinokur, Yakov, McHugh, Tara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chitosan; Mushroom; UV light; Vitamin D
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.03.010

•Mushroom waste treated with UV-B light contained 4.5–6 times the RDA/g of vit D2.•Low value mushroom waste can be used to extract chitosan.•Fungal chitosan is similar to chitosan from animal sources.•Fungal and animal source chitosan films showed similar barrier properties.•Fungal chitosan films are less flexible than animal source chitosan films. Brown mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) stalk bases from mushroom waste were treated with UV-B light to rapidly increase vitamin D2 content. Chitin was also recovered from this waste and converted into chitosan by N-deacetylation. FTIR spectra showed that the mushroom chitosan were similar to chitosan from animal sources. Chitosan films were prepared using high molecular weight (HW), low molecular weight (LW) and fungal chitosan. UV-B treated mushroom particles were also incorporated into fungal chitosan films. The fungal chitosan films showed similar density, porosity and water vapor barrier properties to the LW and HW chitosan films. However, fungal chitosan films were more hydrophobic and less flexible than the LW and HW chitosan films. Addition of mushroom particles did not significantly affect mechanical or water barrier properties of the fungal chitosan films.