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This study investigates the mycelial biomass production and chitosan extraction potential of various Basidiomycota strains, including Heterobasidion annosum, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pleurotus ostreatus, Trametes versicolor, and Lentinus lepideus. Both submerged fermentation (SF) and solid-state fermentation (SSF) methods were employed. The chitosan yield in basidiocarps of Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus bisporus, and Ganoderma applanatum was also evaluated as a reference material. The chitosan extracted from fungal cells was characterized using elemental analyses and FTIR spectroscopy. Among the cultivated strains, P. chrysosporium exhibited the highest mycelial biomass concentration in SF (1.03 g 100 mL–1) after 14 days, while T. versicolor achieved the highest biomass concentration in SSF (3.65 g 100 mL–1). The highest chitosan yield was obtained from the mycelium of P. chrysosporium (0.38%) and T. versicolor (0.37%) in shaken SF. Additionally, commercially cultivated A. bisporus demonstrated the highest chitosan yield in fungal fruiting bodies (1.7%). The extracted chitosan holds potential as a functional biopolymer additive for eco-friendly materials, serving as an alternative to synthetic wet and dry strength agents in packaging materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycarboxylic acids (PCAs) aroused interest as crosslinking agents for natural polymers, such as cellulose, starch, chitosan, and hemicelluloses (HC), for improving their water resistance and imparting them new properties. Here, PCAs were studied for the crosslinking of HC films. HCs were isolated from gray alder (Alnus incana L.) wood as a water-soluble fraction by sawdust extraction with 7% potassium hydroxide. Citric acid (CA), maleic acid (MA), and butane tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) served as crosslinking agents in the presence of sodium hypophosphite as a catalyst. The crosslinking reaction was followed by the analysis of free and esterified COOH groups in HC films. At temperatures below 100-110°C, the HC esterification process with BTCA proceeded very slowly. At 140°C, most of the acids' COOH groups reacted with HC during 1-1.5 h. BTCA had a higher esterification activity than CA and MA. The obtained films retained their form on immersing in water and subsequent drying in the open air. The water retention value of films followed the reaction kinetics, that is, decreased with increasing reaction time. Water-resistant films were obtained with no <10-11% of BTCA and 20% of CA based on the weight of HC. The water vapor sorption capacity of the films after modification with 10% BTCA decreased approximately twice in the whole range of the relative humidity of air compared with the case of unmodified HC films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]