Extraction of Chitosan from Crab Shell and Fungi and Its Antibacterial Activity against Urinary Tract Infection Causing Pathogens

In this study, shells of sea crab and fungus Aspergillus niger were subjected for chitosan extraction which has been done following demineralization, deproteination and deacetylation. Chitosan yield from crab shell and fungi was 37.5% and 39.3% respectively and water binding capacity was 58.44% and 60.21% respectively. The extracted chitosan was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and subjected for antibacterial activity against Urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogens – Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis and E. coli. Chitosan of crab shell showed better antibacterial activity than fungal derived chitosan. Chitosan gel was prepared using the extracted chitosan where it was also showing good antibacterial activity.