Abstract:Chitooligosaccharides can be obtained by chitosan (COS) degradation. Chitooligosaccharides have a low molecular weight, good water solubility, and high biological activity, and can be easily absorbed. In this work, Chitosan with a deacetylation degree of over 95% underwent oxidative degradation by hydrogen peroxide to prepare chitooligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization below six, which was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by ion chromatography and pulsed amperometric detection. The effect and degradation characteristics of hydrogen peroxide concentration, reaction time, and reaction temperature on chitosan degradation were investigated using gel permeation chromatography and using the product of the total peak area of chitooligosaccharides in the ion chromatogram of the degradation products and the yield of products as the response index. In addition, the oxidation conditions were optimized by a response surface analysis method. The results showed that in terms of methodology, it was feasible to use ion chromatography to determine chitooligosaccharides, and the method had good precision, stability, and reproducibility. The optimum degradation conditions were as follows: hydrogen peroxide concentration 4.50%, reaction time 6 h, and reaction temperature 56 ℃. From the chromatographic analysis of the degradation products under optimal conditions, the chitooligosaccharides with a lower degree of polymerization were easier to obtain, and the degradation process of chitosan could be controlled by ion chromatography.
