Chemical Analysis for Chitin as a Measure of Fungal Infiltration of Cellulosic Materials

Abstract

An analytical chemical method is described to detect low-level fungus infiltration of cotton and jute by more rapid means than the conventional bacteriological techniques. Since chitin is present in the cell walls of most fungi, it was used as an indicator for fungal contamination. The amount of chitin found may serve as an indication of the degree of fungal contamination. For this purpose the quantitative analytical method for chitin determination by Rondle and Morgan was modified for the special requirements, and a technique was developed to eliminate the interference caused by the cellulosic-matrix. Data is presented which shows a good degree of correlation between the conventional bacteriological technique and the chemical.

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