Properties of chitin extracted from Estonian mushrooms

Abstract

Fungi contain a significant amount of chitin in their cell walls presenting an attractive source for this commercially significant material. In this study, chitin was extracted from eight different mushroom species native to Estonia. Significant differences in molar mass, chitin content, and fibre size were observed while the degree of acetylation was mostly similar.

Keywords

• chitin
• fungi
• mushroom
• viscosity.