Modification of chitosan by the Maillard reaction using cellulose model compounds

The Maillard reaction between chitosan and cellulose model compounds such as glucose and cellobiose was investigated. Chitosan and the compounds were dissolved in 1% acetic acid, and were dried at 50 °C. As the analysis of the film products, weight increase, color change, FT-IR, relative amounts of free amino groups, insolubility to dilute acetic acid and tensile properties were measured. When the compounds were added to chitosan, the film weight increased gradually and the color difference changed significantly. In addition, the relative amounts of free amino groups decreased rapidly, and the insoluble matter increased. The good tensile properties were obtained when the compounds were added at 20wt%. According to the results of FT-IR, the cleavages in sugar units of chitosan and the formation of heterocyclic compounds were observed. It was recognized that glucose reacts easily with chitosan compared to cellobiose. The progress of the Maillard reaction was dependent on the amount of the compound added.