Enzymatic rearrangement of chitine hydrolysates with β-N-acetylhexosaminidase from Aspergillus oryzae

The role of higher chitooligomers in medical applications is increasing due to their interesting biological activities. Transglycosylation activity of beta -N-acetylhexosaminidase from Aspergillus oryzae was employed to produce higher chitooligosaccharides (chitohexaose-chitooctaose) from a mixture of lower chitooligomers prepared by acid hydrolysis of chitin. Enzymatic rearrangement of the chitooligomer mixture was optimized in respect of substrate concentration, presence of inorganic salts, enzyme activity, and reaction time to achieve the highest production of longer chitooligomers. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.