Applications and Regulatory Status

Both chitosan and COS are covered by the same regulatory status and are approved for use as a dietary supplement in most of the countries. However, only in certain countries it is allowed to be used as a food additive. In the United States presently, neither chitosan nor COS have generally regarded as safe (GRAS) status. On the other hand, in Korea and Japan it is accepted as a certified functional food ingredient for cholesterol control [190]. Chitosan has been sold as a weight-loss dietary supplement for over 20 years in Europe, Japan, and Korea, but has entered the U S. market only 10 years ago [190]. Recently, a trend of substitution of chitosan market with COS has been observed, mainly in the chitosan mature markets, such as Japan and Korea. The main producers of chitosan and COS are Japan and Korea followed by China and the United States. Smaller operations can be foimd in India, 

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