Evaluation of structural and functional properties of chitosan-chlorogenic acid complexes.

The objectives of the present study were to first synthesize chitosan-chlorogenic acid (CA) covalent complex and then compare structural and functional properties between chitosan-CA covalent complex and physical complex. First, chitosan-CA covalent complex was synthesized and its total phenolic content was as high as 276.5 ± 6.2 mg/g. Then structural and functional properties of chitosan-CA covalent and physical complexes were analyzed. The covalent reaction induced formation of both amide and ester bonds in chitosan. Data of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the complexations of CA changed crystallinity and morphology of chitosan, and covalent complexation induced a larger change of physical structure than physical complexation. In terms of functional properties, chitosan-CA covalent complex exhibited better thermal stability than physical complex in terms of antioxidant activity, and the viscosity of chitosan was significantly increased by covalent modification.