The History of Chitosan (Chitin)
This article was written to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about chitosan. I hope you find this information useful.
Chitosan (pronounced Kite-O-San) has largely been considered as natural "fat magnet". Researches believe it to simply be a fat inhibitor which appears to work miracles for those in search of a sound way to lose that body fat.
The chitosan is really a substance removed from chitin, a polysaccharide found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans. It is processed by removing the shells from the shellfish such as lobster, shrimps and crabs. How and when chitosan was discovered is the primary topic to be tackled here. Lets consider the accompanying details.
The source of chitosan can be traced back to 1811 when "chitin", from which it is acquired, was first discovered by Braconnot, a then professor of the natural history in France. According to various researches, as Braconnot was conducting research on mushrooms, he isolated what was eventually to be named chitin.
Almost 20 years later, there was a man who authored an paper on insects in which he stated that similar substance was existent in the structure of insects as well as the structure of plants. He then named this remarkable substance as "chitin". In general, the name chitin is derived from Greek, denoting "tunic" or "envelope". The idea was further known in 1843 when Lassaigne demonstrated the presence of nitrogen in chitin.
After the conception of chitin, the name "chitosan" emerged in the scene. It was initially discovered by Rouget while experimenting with chitin. Consequently, Rouget noticed that the compound of chitin could be manipulated be means of chemical and temperature treatments for it to become soluble. Then, it was in 1878 when Ledderhose identified chitin to be made of glucosamine and acetic acid. It was not actually until 1894 that Hoppe-Seyler named the tailor-made chitin, chitosan.
By the early 20th century, many researches took chitosan as their subject of study. They then involved sources of chitin, including crab shells and fungai. It was the work of Rammelberg in the 1930s that led to the affirmation on the identity of chitosan from these sources. It was also noted that by hydrolyzing chitin in a variety of ways, it was determined by experts that chitin is a polysaccharide of glucosamine.
1950s arrived and the use of x-ray analysis had advanced the study of the occurrence of chitin or chitosan in fungai. However, it is only the most revolutionary technologies that proved the most dependable in identifying the presence of chitin as well as cellulose in the cell walls. The first book on chitosan was published 140 years after the initial observation of Braconnot, and that was in 1951.
In the early 1960s, chitosan was investigated for its ability to bind with the red blood cells. That time also, the substance was considered as a hemostatic agent. Then, for the last three decades, chitosan has been used at water purification plants for detoxifying water. It is spread over the surface where it absorbs greases, oils, and other potential toxins.
Today, it is known as a dietary supplement that is good for weight loss. In fact, it has been marketed for such purpose for about 20 years in Japan as well as in Europe. Many people even call it as the "fat blocker".
The information you just read was pulled from different resources. You should continue researching chitosan until you believe you have a better understanding of its benefits.
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