Chitosan structure, enzymic analysis

The observed changes in the values of characteristic and intrinsic viscosity in the absence of enzyme agents are probably coimected with structural transformations such as destruction of chitosan associates in the acetic acid solution. As a XRD analysis shows, the source chitosan and the one dissolved in the acetic acid have different supramolecular organization (Fig. 8.3). 

Dumitriu and coworkers finished their study with a structural analysis of the hydrogels by preparing hydrogel beads that were investigated by SEM. The beads exhibit fibrillar porons sfructures with pore sizes of 100-250 mn and fiber diameters of 1-10 pm. In previous publications, Dumitriu and Chomet observed the diffusion of immobilized enzymes out of similar chitosan-xanthan hydrogel beads [138]. This observation can be explained by the porous external and internal structure of the beads, as illustrated in Fig. 15a, b. 

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