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Enhancing bread storage stability with chitosan oligosaccharides of different molecular weights: inhibiting spoilage microorganisms and retarding starch retrogradation.

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Title: Enhancing bread storage stability with chitosan oligosaccharides of different molecular weights: inhibiting spoilage microorganisms and retarding starch retrogradation.
Authors: Du LH; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China., Guo XN; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China. Electronic address: xiaonaguo@jiangnan.edu.cn., Sun XH; Department of Plant, Food and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, B2N 5E3, Canada., Zhu KX; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China. Electronic address: kxzhu@jiangnan.edu.cn.
Source: Carbohydrate polymers [Carbohydr Polym] 2026 Oct 15; Vol. 390, pp. 125754. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 11.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Elsevier Applied Science Publishers Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8307156 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-1344 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01448617 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Carbohydr Polym Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: <1992-> : Barking : Elsevier Applied Science Publishers
Original Publication: London [Eng.] : Applied Science Publishers, c1981-
MeSH Terms: Chitosan*/chemistry , Chitosan*/pharmacology , Bread*/microbiology , Oligosaccharides*/chemistry , Oligosaccharides*/pharmacology , Starch*/chemistry , Anti-Bacterial Agents*/pharmacology , Anti-Bacterial Agents*/chemistry , Antifungal Agents*/pharmacology , Antifungal Agents*/chemistry, Aspergillus niger/drug effects ; Bacillus subtilis/drug effects ; Penicillium chrysogenum/drug effects ; Molecular Weight ; Food Storage
Abstract: Microbial spoilage and starch retrogradation remain major challenges in the baking industry. This study evaluated the antimicrobial and anti-staling effects of three chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) with different molecular weights (MWs), namely, low molecular weight (LMW, 1000 Da), medium molecular weight (MMW, 1509 Da), and high molecular weight (HMW, 2225 Da) in bread. In vitro assays showed that antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum increased with MW, whereas both LMW- and HMW-COS exhibited stronger antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis. Incorporation of COS notably prolonged the microbial shelf life of bread stored at 25 °C, extending it to 21, 15, and 24 d for LMW-, MMW-, and HMW-COS, respectively. The anti-staling effect of COS was also MW-dependent. Specifically, compared with the control, LMW-, MMW-, and HMW-COS reduced crumb firmness by 48.5%, 43.1%, and 29.8%, respectively, and decreased retrogradation enthalpy by 43.8%, 36.3%, and 20.7%, respectively, after 7 d of storage at 4 °C. Mechanistically, this effect is attributed to the reduction in starch relative crystallinity and the restriction of water migration from bound to free state. Overall, LMW-COS exhibited the greatest potential as a dual-functional improver, delivering superior anti-staling performance without compromising antimicrobial efficacy.
(Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Antimicrobial activity; Bread; Chitosan oligosaccharides; Molecular weight; Shelf life; Starch retrogradation
Substance Nomenclature: 9012-76-4 (Chitosan)
0 (Oligosaccharides)
9005-25-8 (Starch)
0 (Anti-Bacterial Agents)
0 (Antifungal Agents)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260903 Date Completed: 20260903 Latest Revision: 20260903
Update Code: 20260904
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2026.125754
PMID: 42692626
Database: MEDLINE
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  Data: Enhancing bread storage stability with chitosan oligosaccharides of different molecular weights: inhibiting spoilage microorganisms and retarding starch retrogradation.
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  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Du+LH%22&quot;&gt;Du LH&lt;/searchLink&gt;; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Guo+XN%22&quot;&gt;Guo XN&lt;/searchLink&gt;; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China. Electronic address: xiaonaguo@jiangnan.edu.cn.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Sun+XH%22&quot;&gt;Sun XH&lt;/searchLink&gt;; Department of Plant, Food and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, B2N 5E3, Canada.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Zhu+KX%22&quot;&gt;Zhu KX&lt;/searchLink&gt;; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, PR China. Electronic address: kxzhu@jiangnan.edu.cn.
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– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Microbial spoilage and starch retrogradation remain major challenges in the baking industry. This study evaluated the antimicrobial and anti-staling effects of three chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) with different molecular weights (MWs), namely, low molecular weight (LMW, 1000&#160;Da), medium molecular weight (MMW, 1509&#160;Da), and high molecular weight (HMW, 2225&#160;Da) in bread. In vitro assays showed that antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum increased with MW, whereas both LMW- and HMW-COS exhibited stronger antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis. Incorporation of COS notably prolonged the microbial shelf life of bread stored at 25&#160;&#176;C, extending it to 21, 15, and 24 d for LMW-, MMW-, and HMW-COS, respectively. The anti-staling effect of COS was also MW-dependent. Specifically, compared with the control, LMW-, MMW-, and HMW-COS reduced crumb firmness by 48.5%, 43.1%, and 29.8%, respectively, and decreased retrogradation enthalpy by 43.8%, 36.3%, and 20.7%, respectively, after 7 d of storage at 4&#160;&#176;C. Mechanistically, this effect is attributed to the reduction in starch relative crystallinity and the restriction of water migration from bound to free state. Overall, LMW-COS exhibited the greatest potential as a dual-functional improver, delivering superior anti-staling performance without compromising antimicrobial efficacy.&lt;br /&gt; (Copyright &#169; 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Competing Interests
  Group: Ab
  Data: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
– Name: SubjectMinor
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  Data: &lt;i&gt;Keywords: &lt;/i&gt;Antimicrobial activity; Bread; Chitosan oligosaccharides; Molecular weight; Shelf life; Starch retrogradation
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  Data: 9012-76-4 (Chitosan)&lt;br /&gt;0 (Oligosaccharides)&lt;br /&gt;9005-25-8 (Starch)&lt;br /&gt;0 (Anti-Bacterial Agents)&lt;br /&gt;0 (Antifungal Agents)
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  Data: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2026.125754
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  Data: 42692626
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2026.125754
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        StartPage: 125754
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Aspergillus niger drug effects
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Bacillus subtilis drug effects
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Penicillium chrysogenum drug effects
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Molecular Weight
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Food Storage
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Chitosan chemistry
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Chitosan pharmacology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Bread microbiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Oligosaccharides chemistry
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Oligosaccharides pharmacology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Starch chemistry
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anti-Bacterial Agents chemistry
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Antifungal Agents pharmacology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Antifungal Agents chemistry
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Enhancing bread storage stability with chitosan oligosaccharides of different molecular weights: inhibiting spoilage microorganisms and retarding starch retrogradation.
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              Text: 2026 Oct 15
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