This book outlines the production of chitooligossacharides and their derivatives and discusses their main biological activities, biomedical applications and their role in disease prevention. Chitooligosaccharides are products of chitosan or chitin degradation, prepared by enzymatic or chemical hydrolysis of chitosan, and they consist mainly of N-acetyl glucosamine and glucosamine bonded with a glycosidic bond. Compared to chitin and chitosan, chitooligossacharides offer advantages for large-scale and commercial applications due to their solubility in water and lower molecular weight.
Written by leading experts, this book is divided into four parts. The first part provides a general introduction to chitooligossacharides. The second part focuses on the bioproduction of chitooligossacharides through enzymatic synthesis and also covers physical and chemical methods of synthesis. The third part explores the major biological activities of chitooligosaccharides, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and neuroprotective activities, and discusses the disease preventing mechanisms of chitooligosaccharides. In this section, readers will also find about the latest in vivo studies which support the use of chitooligosaccharides in the prevention and control of disease. The final part highlights important biomedical applications of chitooligosaccharides, including in tissue engineering, drug delivery and wound healing applications. It also includes the volume editors perspective on the health and safety risks of chitooligosaccharides.

Given its scope, this book is useful not only for researches in the field but also for students interested in biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, marine biotechnology, nutraceuticals and food science.

Professor Dr. Se-Kwon Kim has more than 40 years of experience as a marine biochemist, working in the field of marine bioprocess and biotechnology. He is currently Distinguished Professor at the Hanyang University, Korea and Research Advisor at the Kolmar Korea Company. He was Professor of Marine Biochemistry at the Department of Marine Bio Convergence Science and Technology and was also Director of the Marine Bioprocess Research Center at the Pukyong National University, South Korea. After receiving his Ph.D. from Pukyong National University, he joined the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (USA), as Postdoctoral Researcher. From 19992000, he was Visiting Professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. His research has been published in more than 650 original papers, 70 books, and he holds 120 patents.
Professor Kim's major research interests include bioactive substances derived from marine organisms and their various applications (e.g. as pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals or for dietary supplements).

Introduction to Chitooligosaccharides.- Chemical Preparation of ChitoOligosaccharides.- Enzymatic Production of Different Types of Chitooligosaccharides.- Enzymatic Production of Different Types of Chitooligosaccharides.