Current Perspectives on Chitinolytic Enzymes and Their Agro-Industrial Applications

Abstract

Chitinases are a large and diversified category of enzymes that break down chitin, the world’s second most prevalent polymer after cellulose. GH18 is the most studied family of chitinases, even though chitinolytic enzymes come from a variety of glycosyl hydrolase (GH) families. Most of the distinct GH families, as well as the unique structural and catalytic features of various chitinolytic enzymes, have been thoroughly explored to demonstrate their use in the development of tailor-made chitinases by protein engineering. Although chitin-degrading enzymes may be found in plants and other organisms, such as arthropods, mollusks, protozoans, and nematodes, microbial chitinases are a promising and sustainable option for industrial production. Despite this, the inducible nature, low titer, high production expenses, and susceptibility to severe environments are barriers to upscaling microbial chitinase production. The goal of this study is to address all of the elements that influence microbial fermentation for chitinase production, as well as the purifying procedures for attaining high-quality yield and purity.

Polyextremophilic Chitinolytic Activity by a Marine Strain (IG119) of Clonostachys rosea

“…Very scarce literature deals with static liquid cultures for the production of chitinases, which are generally obtained in shaken (or stirred) cultures or in solid-state conditions [ 38 ]. In a couple of works, static cultures demonstrated to be more efficient than shaken cultures both for biomass and chitinase production by Aspergillus terreus and Alternaria alternata [ 39 , 40 ].…”

“…Generally, maximum fungal chitinase production is observed at acidic or sub-acidic pH [ 38 ]. Chatterton and Punja [ 49 ] reported that the maximum chitinase activity by a soil strain of Clonostachys rosea f. catenulata was obtained at pH 6.0, with ca.…”

“…The availability of a crude enzyme preparation, which possibly contains a pool of enzymes with different characteristics, is a further benefit in view of industrial and/or environmental applications (i.e., degradation of chitin-rich materials) for its increased efficiency in chitin hydrolysis. Actually, various commercial preparations are constituted by a mixture of different chitinolytic enzymes [ 38 ].…”

Crab-Eating Monkey Acidic Chitinase (CHIA) Efficiently Degrades Chitin and Chitosan under Acidic and High-Temperature Conditions

“…Due to its high homology with human CHIA, monkey CHIA might potentially be adjusted for future purposes. For example, microbial chitinases have been used in a wide range of applications [55]. CHIA could therefore become a robust tool in chitooligosaccharide production for agricultural and biomedical purposes (Figure 5).…”

Kurthia gibsonii Mb126 immobilised chitinase against Aspergillus flavus, a fungal pathogen linked to lemon postharvest deterioration

“…Nanoemulsion-based essential oils on the surface of fruits can prevent fungi (12) . Chitinase enzymes can also be utilised as a green alternative to antifungal chemical disinfectants because they can hydrolyse chitin present in the fungal cell wall (13) . Large scale applications of free chitinase to control postharvest decay by fungi are restricted due to the operational instability and thermal denaturation of the soluble form of the enzyme.…”