%0 Journal Article
%T Three-Step Enzymatic Remodeling of Chitin into Bioactive Chitooligomers.
%A Mészáros Z
%A Kulik N
%A Petrásková L
%A Bojarová P
%A Texidó M
%A Planas A
%A Křen V
%A Slámová K
%J J Agric Food Chem
%V 72
%N 28
%D 2024 Jul 17
%M 38978453
%F 5.895
%R 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c03077
%X Here we describe a complex enzymatic approach to the efficient transformation of abundant waste chitin, a byproduct of the food industry, into valuable chitooligomers with a degree of polymerization (DP) ranging from 6 to 11. This method involves a three-step process: initial hydrolysis of chitin using engineered variants of a novel fungal chitinase from Talaromyces flavus to generate low-DP chitooligomers, followed by an extension to the desired DP using the high-yielding Y445N variant of β-N-acetylhexosaminidase from Aspergillus oryzae, achieving yields of up to 57%. Subsequently, enzymatic deacetylation of chitooligomers with DP 6 and 7 was accomplished using peptidoglycan deacetylase from Bacillus subtilis BsPdaC. The innovative enzymatic procedure demonstrates a sustainable and feasible route for converting waste chitin into unavailable bioactive chitooligomers potentially applicable as natural pesticides in ecological and sustainable agriculture.