ENZYMATIC DEGRADATION OF CHITINS AND PARTIALLY DEACETYLATED CHITINS

The enzymatic (lysozyme, chitinase etc.) digestibility of chitins obta ined from squid pen and shrimp shell, and of partially deacetylated ch itins (DA-chitins) was investigated. The digestibility of various chit ins by the chitinase from Bacillus sp. Pl-7S was much higher than that by lysozyme, and beta-chitin was digested more smoothly than a-chitin . DA-chitin deacetylated under homogeneous conditions ((DAC) over bar) was hydrolysed by lysozyme more rapidly than that deacetylated under heterogeneous conditions (DAC). DACs from shrimp shell and squid pen s howed the same degree of digestibility by lysozyme in spite of a diffe rence in the crystal structure of the original chitins. The crystal st ructure of chitin and the degree of N-acetyl group aggregation among D A-chitin molecules affect the enzymatic digestibility of chitin and DA -chitin, respectively.