Utilization of commercial non-chitinase enzymes from fungi for preparation of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucose from β-chitin Original Research Article

Commercial non-chitinase enzymes from Aspergilus niger, Acremonium cellulolyticus and Trichoderma viride were investigated for potential utilization in the preparation of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucose (N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, GlcNAc) from chitin. Among the tested enzymes, cellulase A. cellulolyticus exhibited highest chitinolytic activity per weight toward amorphous chitin and β-chitin from squid pen. The optimum pH of the enzyme was 3 where it produced two major hydrolytic products, GlcNAc and N,N′-diacetylchitobiose ([GlcNAc]2). The product ratio, GlcNAc:[GlcNAc]2, increased while the total yield decreased as the pH was raised from 3. All of the [GlcNAc]2 produced at pH 3 can be converted in situ to GlcNAc by mixing cellulase A. cellulolyticus with one of several other enzymes from A. niger resulting in a higher yield of GlcNAc. An appropriate mixing ratio of cellulase A. cellulolyticus to another enzyme was 9:1 (w/w) and an optimum substrate concentration was 20 mg/mL.