pH was measured using Cyberscan pH meter.31 Sugar
content was estimated by the method of Hodge and
Hofreiter.32 The amount of protein was measured by
the method of Lowry et al.33 Proteolytic activity was
analyzed with tyrosine as the standard compound.7 Viscosity
was measured using Brookfield DV-E Viscometer
with ULA spindle (SMC—0.64) at 100 rpm. Molecular
weight was determined by the method of Rutherford
and Austin34 and degree of deacetylation as per the procedure
of Muzzarelli and Rocchetty.35 The FTIR spectral
analysis was carried out with a Nicolet AVATAR
360ESP FTIR Spectrometer. The average number of
scans taken per sample was 16 in the spectral region between
400 and 4000 cm1. The degree of N-acetylation
of the samples was calculated using the following
equation: