health
IVIC advances chitosan project for biomedicine
With the aim of obtaining nanoparticles that can be used as drug-releasing species with applications in biomedicine, as well as for the production of films for food preservation, the research project "Extraction of chitin and chitosan from two types of fungi" is being developed at the Center for Materials Engineering and Nanotechnology of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), according to the Ministry of Science and Technology website.
TL;DR
- A research project at IVIC aims to extract chitin and chitosan from fungi.
- Chitosan has applications in biomedicine (drug delivery, tissue engineering) and the food industry (preservation, nutritional benefits).
- Chitosan is a biopolymer with antibacterial, antifungal, mucoadhesive, non-toxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible properties.
- The extraction process involves demineralization, deproteinization, and deacetylation.
- The project focuses on obtaining chitosan nanocapsules for drug nanocarriers and as a coating for preserving fruits.