PREPARATION AND APPLICATION OF CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES AND NANOFIBERS

Encapsulation and immobilization technology is important for the food processing and bioengineering industries. Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide prepared by the N-deacetylation of chitin. It has been widely used in food and bioengineering industries, including the encapsulation of active food ingredients, in enzyme immobilization, and as a carrier for controlled drug delivery, due to its significant biological and chemical properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, bioactivity, and polycationicity. In this work, chitosan nanoparticles and nanofibers used to encapsulate bioactive substances and immobilize enzymes were reviewed. Preparation of chitosan nanoparticles and nanofibers, including the work achieved in our group on chitosan nanoparticles for enzyme immobilization, were also introduced. Some problems encountered with nano-structured chitosan carriers for bioactive substance encapsulation and enzyme immobilization were discussed, together with the future prospects of such systems.