Comparison of bovine serum albumin adsorption capacities of α-chitin isolated from an insect and β-chitin from cuttlebone

Bovine serum albumin is the key protein in blood. Chitin is a widely used biocompatible polymer in bioengineering and it is mainly found as two allomorphs (alpha, beta). In this study the interactions of alpha-chitin (from the insect Omophlus sp.) and beta-chitin (from the cuttlebone of Sepia sp.) with BSA were studied. Chitin isolates were examined by SEM, XRD, BET, TGA and FFIR. beta-Chitin exhibited a far higher affinity for BSA than alpha-chitin, indicating alpha-chitin can be used in applications where surface-protein interactions should be limited, and beta-chitin can be used in chitin-based materials on which protein adsorption is desired. (C) 2016 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.