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Chitosan- N -2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (QTS) was prepared by reaction of chitosan (CS) and glycidyl trimethylammonium chloride. Later, O -acetyl-chitosan- N -2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (AQTS) was synthesized by reaction of QTS with acetic acid in the presence of SOCl 2 . Both derivatives were characterized by FTIR, 1 H NMR, TGA, and XRD techniques. The degree of quaternization of QTS was 85.5%, and the degree of acetyl (DA) of AQTS was from 1.63 to 2.31. Compared with CS, the solubility of QTS and AQTS was improved at different levels, especially AQTS, it could be dissolved in many organic solvents, water, and aqueous solution. Notably, the solubility of AQTS in organic solvents increased as DA increased, while the solubility in water was reversed. The results of CS, QTS, and AQTS against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus showed that QTS and AQTS exhibited higher antibacterial activity than CS, and the antibacterial activity of AQTS decreased with increased DA. Moreover, the inhibition effect was AQTS1 (DA 1.63) > AQTS2 (DA 2.02) > QTS > AQTS3 (DA 2.31). On the basis of the results of the present study, it could be emphasized that hydrophobicity and positive charge density might strongly affect the antibacterial activity of quaternary ammonium chitosan derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel amphipathic chitosan derivative, N -benzoyl- O -acetyl-chitosan (BACS), was prepared by using the selective partial acylation of chitosan (CS), benzoyl chloride, and acetic acid under high-intensity ultrasound. The chemical structure and physical properties of BACS were characterized by FTIR, 1 H NMR, TGA, and XRD techniques. The degrees of substitution of benzoyl and acetyl for the chitosan derivatives were 0.26 and 1.15, respectively, which were calculated from the peak areas in NMR spectra by using the combined integral methods. The foaming properties of CS and BACS were determined and the results suggested BACS had better foam capacity and stability than those of chitosan. In addition, the antimicrobial activities of CS and BACS were also investigated against two species of bacteria ( Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus ) and a fungus ( Aspergillus niger ), the results indicated that the antibacterial and antifungal activities of BACS were much stronger than those of the parent chitosan. These findings suggested that BACS was preferable for use as a food additive with a dual role of both foaming agent and food preservative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]