Chitin and Chitosan: Structure, Properties and Applications

Chitin and chitosan are the most abundant natural amino polysaccharide that are non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible. They have become of great interest not only as an underutilized resource, but also as a new functional material of high potential in various fields. They are biopolymers having immense structural possibilities for chemical and mechanical modifications to generate novel properties, functions and applications especially in various industrial and biomedical fields. In the last decade, chitin and chitosan derivatives have garnered significant interest in the biomedical and biopharmaceutical research fields with applications as biomaterials for tissue engineering and wound healing and as excipients for drug delivery.This review will focus on the structure, properties and applications of chitin and chitosan with particular emphasis on their uses as materials for industrial and biomedical applications.