Spectrophotometric Determination of Chitosan Concentration Using Eosin Y Dye

Abstract

Introduction: Chitosan, a naturally occurring polysaccharide obtained from chitin has wide application in medicine, food, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic industry. Though it is considered safe some studies claim it to be toxic. Several existing methods for quantifying chitosan are expensive and time consuming. Eosin Y, a less expensive, anionic xanthene dye can be used to estimate chitosan.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to develop a simple, rapid spectrophotometric method for chitosan estimation.

Methods: Determination of optimal eosin Y concentration for chitosan estimation and evaluation of absorption maxima (λmax) of eosin – chitosan complex. Calibration of standard curve and establishment of linear curve.

Results: Eosin Y concentration of 0.00125% showed better linear response with R2 value of 0.9955 at 520nm. The LOD, LOQ and Analytical sensitivity were determined to be 2.06 µg/ml, 6.09 µg/ml and 1.6 respectively.

Conclusions: This study established a rapid and simple method uses commonly available spectrophotometer for chitosan quantification. This proposed working range is appropriate for routine laboratory and biomedical applications where moderate chitosan concentrations are typically encountered