The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of chitin, chitosan
and their oligosaccharides were determined in order to assess their
antimicrobial activity. The oligosaccharides NAc-COS and COS
showed lower MIC values (0.003%), compared to chitin and chitosan,
for all bacteria strains tested, indicating their stronger antimicrobial
activity (Table 2). The minimal inhibitory concentrations
(MIC) of chitin and chitosan depended on the bacterium being
studied. The MIC values of chitin, for example, generally ranged
from 0.006% to 0.01%; with the exceptions being P. aeruginosa,
S. typhimurium and P. melaninogenica which required more than