Prebiotics & Dietary Fiber
Chitosan Oligosaccharide (abbreviated as COS, also known as Oligochitosan) is a small-molecule amino functional oligosaccharide produced via the following procedures: taking chitin extracted from the shells of marine crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs as the starting raw material, preparing chitosan through deacetylation, followed by directional enzymatic degradation, membrane filtration classification, impurity removal by ion exchange, concentration and spray drying. It is polymerized by D-glucosamine monomers linked via β-1,4 glycosidic bonds with a degree of polymerization (DP) ranging from 2 to 20.
CAS No.: 148411-57-8
It complies with the domestic light industry standard QB/T 5503-2020 Chitosan Oligosaccharide. Approved as a Novel Food Ingredient by Announcement No. 6 of the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China in 2014. Classified under the GB 2760 system as water-soluble dietary fiber, natural bacteriostatic agent, stabilizer, thickener and immune activity enhancer. Different from common plant-derived prebiotics, it is a scarce marine animal-derived alkaline oligosaccharide with three core properties: intestinal microecology regulation, broad-spectrum bacteriostasis and systemic immune activation. Featuring full water solubility of small molecules and strong biological penetrability, it boasts prominent differentiated functional barriers.
Main Components: Mixture of linear glucosamine oligosaccharides with DP 2 to DP 20. Degree of Deacetylation (DDA) ≥90% serves as the core activity indicator, with narrow molecular weight distribution, free of insoluble impurities of high-molecular-weight chitosan, protein residues and heavy metal contaminants.
Core Indicators: Two high-purity graded specifications of refined chitosan oligosaccharide with effective content ≥90.0% and ≥95.0%. The only mainstream commercial form is customizable pure white spray-dried water-soluble powder. Higher deacetylation degree brings stronger cationic charge, which is positively correlated with bacteriostatic capacity and biological activity, delivering excellent purity and homogeneity of fermentation substrates.
Appearance & Properties: Off-white to pale beige free-flowing crystalline powder, nearly tasteless with only a faint inherent raw material odor, no bitter, astringent or rancid off-flavors. Its 10% aqueous solution forms a clear, homogeneous weakly alkaline liquid without flocculation, precipitation or stratification upon prolonged standing.
Stability: Wide acid-base tolerance range with stable molecular structure across the full food system at pH 4.0–9.0, resisting hydrolysis and chain cleavage in weakly acidic to weakly alkaline environments. The sealed powder has a 24-month shelf life when stored in a cool, dry and dark place, with controllable hygroscopicity and low risk of caking or deterioration.
Solubility: Fully soluble in cold, warm and hot water with solubility exceeding 80g/100mL. The pH value of 10% aqueous solution ranges from 5.5 to 8.0, and the powder exhibits superior free-flowing property. It shows outstanding compatibility with milk systems, plant proteins, grain powders, aqueous colloids, sauce formulations and probiotic compound systems.
➢ Regulatory Compliance:
Legally usable as a novel food ingredient in China per NHC Announcement No.6 (2014), with supporting national standards for feed applications. It has obtained authoritative food safety filings in multiple jurisdictions including FDA GRAS (GRN739), JECFA and EFSA, as well as South Korea MFDS. For EU export, allergen labeling for crustacean-derived ingredients is required, with mature procedures for cross-border customs declaration and overseas registration.
➢ Processing Performance:
Dissolves at ambient temperature without acid assistance. Its molecular structure remains stable under UHT ultra-high temperature sterilization, spray drying, tableting and granulation, baking and boiling, and long-term sterilization of sauces, resisting thermal degradation and browning discoloration. The powder has better moisture resistance than most water-soluble oligosaccharides, enabling high fault tolerance in industrial mass production.
➢ Health Efficacy:
Unique alkaline amino structure resists extensive degradation by digestive enzymes in the upper gastrointestinal tract and exerts full-effect action throughout the intestinal tract. In addition to proliferating beneficial bacteria, it delivers cationic physical bacteriostasis to target and inhibit Gram-negative intestinal pathogenic bacteria. Immune modulation is an exclusive additional function unavailable in ordinary prebiotics, making it highly suitable for middle-aged and elderly populations and immunocompromised individuals.
➢ Clean Label Friendly:
Can be directly labeled on ingredient lists as "Chitosan Oligosaccharide", "Oligochitosan", "Water-Soluble Dietary Fiber" or "Marine-Derived Active Oligosaccharide". Processed from deep processing of marine crustaceans, it carries the premium scarce raw material attribute and perfectly meets the differentiated clean label positioning of functional health foods.
➢ Excellent Synergistic Effect:
Can be compounded with FOS, GOS, stachyose, isomalto-oligosaccharide, polydextrose, various probiotic strains, plant polysaccharides and resistant starch. It broadens the proliferation spectrum of intestinal flora on one hand, and protects probiotics from gastric acid and bile damage relying on its intrinsic bacteriostatic activity on the other hand. It also alleviates powder caking and enhances preservative and bacteriostatic performance of the whole system to achieve multiple synergistic benefits.
Chitosan oligosaccharide is enzymatically cleaved into short-chain small molecules with DP 2–DP 20, completely overcoming the application limitation of high-molecular-weight chitosan which only dissolves in dilute acid. After oral administration, it passes intact through the stomach and small intestine to reach the entire colon, penetrating the gaps between intestinal mucosal epithelial cells. It acts not only on the flora inside the intestinal lumen but also on the intestinal wall mucosal layer, with far deeper action depth and broader coverage than conventional plant-derived prebiotics.
The molecules carry a large number of free amino groups with positive charges. Through electrostatic adsorption, they wrap the cell membranes of harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Clostridium perfringens and Staphylococcus aureus, destroying cell wall integrity to realize physical bacteriostasis. Meanwhile, it selectively provides fermentable carbon sources for Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. It suppresses pathogenic bacteria while nourishing beneficial flora to balance intestinal microecology bidirectionally, showing remarkable effects in regulating bacterial intestinal disorders and recurrent diarrhea.
Human digestive enzymes have extremely low decomposition and utilization efficiency for glucosamine oligosaccharides, so the product barely enters blood circulation to participate in blood glucose metabolism. Its glycemic index approximates zero without triggering insulin stress fluctuations or postprandial blood glucose elevation. It can be widely applied in sugar-free foods, sugar-control meal replacements and specialized nutritional formulas for diabetics with outstanding safety profile.
Modern high-fat and high-protein diets tend to acidify the intestinal microenvironment. Chitosan oligosaccharide produces weakly alkaline metabolites that neutralize excessive acidic byproducts in the gut, reduce chronic irritation of intestinal mucosa caused by long-term colonic acidification, lower the release of inflammatory factors, and improve sub-health conditions including intestinal hypersensitivity, recurrent diarrhea and abdominal distension.
Fermentation by intestinal beneficial bacteria continuously generates short-chain fatty acids including acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid. Butyric acid specifically supplies energy for colonic epithelial cells, repairs damaged intestinal villi and tightens gaps between epithelial cells, fundamentally ameliorating leaky gut syndrome, reinforcing the physical intestinal barrier, and blocking systemic low-grade inflammation induced by undigested macromolecules and toxins entering the bloodstream.
Virtually zero sweetness will not alter the inherent sweetness profile of finished products and allows free combination with sucrose and various sweeteners. In beverages, meat products and sauces, it assists in inhibiting miscellaneous bacteria propagation, moderately reducing the dosage of chemical preservatives such as potassium sorbate and benzoates, and optimizing the clean label of formulations.
As a scarce marine-derived novel food ingredient grade active dietary fiber, chitosan oligosaccharide is applicable to immunocompromised groups, middle-aged and elderly people, gastrointestinal hypersensitive populations and individuals with metabolic disorders, delivering multi-dimensional and systematic physiological regulatory values:
It reshapes colonic microecology by inhibiting harmful bacteria and boosting beneficial strains, acidifying the intestinal tract to accelerate peristalsis and soften stool for alleviating intractable constipation caused by insufficient gastrointestinal motility in the elderly. It also curbs overproliferation of pathogenic bacteria to ease acute and chronic diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome triggered by unhygienic diet and flora imbalance, establishing a stable and autonomous intestinal rhythm.
It adheres to the surface of intestinal mucosa to form a protective biofilm, activates immune cells in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT), enhances macrophage phagocytosis and the secretion level of humoral immune immunoglobulins. It reduces the incidence of seasonal respiratory infections, recurrent gastrointestinal allergies and chronic inflammatory relapses, serving as a core nutritional ingredient for immune supplementation among the elderly.
Amino groups on the molecular structure possess chelating and complexing capacity, binding heavy metal ions (lead, cadmium, mercury, etc.) and putrefactive toxic metabolites (ammonia, indole, phenols) in the intestinal tract for direct excretion via feces. It prevents toxin reabsorption, greatly eases long-term detoxification pressure on the liver and kidneys, and improves fatigue, halitosis and dull skin caused by staying up late and high-sodium high-fat diets.
It forms a gel network structure in the small intestine to physically wrap triglycerides, cholesterol and fatty acids from dietary intake, hindering secondary intestinal lipid absorption and lowering total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in peripheral blood. It also delays gastric emptying to extend satiety, naturally curbing overconsumption of high-calorie foods, ideal for fat-loss meal replacements, blood lipid maintenance and nutritional formulas for patients with three highs (hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia).
It optimizes intestinal microecology and regulates intestinal pH value to promote dissociation of calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium and other mineral ions, elevating their transmembrane intestinal absorption efficiency. It assists in improving senile osteoporosis and iron-deficiency anemia in females, and reduces the risk of degenerative joint lesions.
It can be incorporated into oral lozenges and mouthwash formulas to inhibit oral Streptococcus mutans and periodontal pathogens, cutting down the occurrence of dental plaque, tartar and oral ulcers. It can also be added to topical skin dressings for mild bacteriostasis and skin repair effects.
➢ Maternal, Infant and Special Dietary Foods
Functional solid beverages for pregnant and lying-in women, postpartum intestinal conditioning powder: Gently alleviates prevalent constipation during pregnancy and postpartum period, reduces intestinal toxin accumulation and improves maternal mineral absorption efficiency.
Note: Due to crustacean allergen properties, it is not recommended for complementary food formulas for infants aged 0–36 months to avoid allergic risks.
Special dietary instant powder for adults, postoperative rehabilitation nutritional powder: Protects intestinal mucosal barrier of bedridden and postoperative patients, inhibits proliferation of opportunistic intestinal pathogens, and prevents enterogenic infection and intestinal flora exhaustion.
➢ Dairy Products
Ambient fermented yogurt, active lactic acid bacteria drinks: Provides stable carbon sources for probiotics, suppresses miscellaneous bacterial contamination, improves fermentation stability, reduces whey precipitation and prolongs viable probiotic survival rate throughout shelf life.
Immune formula milk powder for the elderly, modified milk powder for three-high populations, sucrose-free goat milk powder: Highlights dietary fiber fortification and immune enhancement selling points. The powder features excellent dissolution and dispersion without agglomeration or stratification when blended with milk matrices, and strengthens the anti-deterioration capacity of milk powder.
Low-temperature cheese, milk pudding, fermented dairy desserts: Stabilizes colloidal tissue structure, inhibits miscellaneous bacterial growth during cold storage and extends cold-chain shelf life.
➢ Bakery & Snacks
Sugar-free whole wheat toast, multigrain biscuits, meal replacement crisp cakes, energy grain bars: Zero sweetness does not interfere with sugar formula design, maintains structural stability under high-temperature baking, and carries dual functional labels for intestinal health and lipid management, precisely targeting elderly and weight-loss consumer groups.
Roasted nuts, nut crisps: Micro-dosage surface addition inhibits lipid oxidative rancidity and extends shelf life of snacks.
➢ Functional Drinks & Beverages
Compound oral liquids for intestinal immunity, probiotic solid drinks: Acts as an excellent protective carrier for probiotics to resist damage from gastric acid and bile and boost colonization rate, while its intrinsic bacteriostasis lowers secondary contamination risks of beverages to realize 1+1>2 synergistic efficacy.
Herbal cleansing drinks, fermented fruit & vegetable concentrates, sugar-free sparkling drinks: Maintains structural stability without hydrolysis in wide pH ranges, zero sweetness preserves natural fruit and vegetable flavors, and reinforces the preservative system of beverages.
Multigrain instant powder, plant protein meal replacement powder: Dissolves smoothly without sticking to the bottom during reconstitution, optimizes powder flowability, and endows products with additional selling points of heavy metal excretion and intestinal care.
➢ Confectionery & Tablet Preparations
Oral dental care lozenges, herbal throat soothing hard candies, sugar-free gummy candies: Inhibits cariogenic and periodontal pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity, partially replaces chemical bacteriostatic ingredients to develop functional oral health candies.
Complete nutritional meal replacement tablets, fat-blocking chewable tablets: Adsorbs dietary lipids and enhances satiety, streamlines functional ingredient composition and highlights the high-end differentiation of marine bio-based raw materials.
➢ Condiments & Meat Products
Tomato ketchup, salad dressings, compound thick soups, hot pot dipping sauces: Physicochemically stable under high-temperature sterilization and long-term storage, inhibits mold and spoilage bacteria in sauce systems, cuts preservative dosage, and improves viscosity stability and shelf life of condiments.
Low-temperature ham, luncheon meat, prepared meat dishes, low-fat meat emulsions: Regulates water activity, restrains pathogenic bacteria reproduction in meat products, improves the dry and tough texture of low-fat meat, enhances slicing moldability and delays oxidative rancidity of fats.
High-purity single-ingredient chitosan oligosaccharide powder, chewable tablets, plant-based hard capsules: Premium marine active functional standalone products focusing on three core selling points: intestinal flora balance, heavy metal chelation and immune enhancement, with significantly higher premium potential than conventional plant-derived prebiotics.
Compound probiotic health foods: Standard synergistic carrier that dramatically improves intestinal colonization capacity and survival rate of multi-strain probiotics, serving as a core compound raw material for high-end gastrointestinal conditioning supplements.
Multivitamin & mineral tablets for the elderly, joint care capsules, dietary products for three-high regulation: Generates synergistic effects with trace elements including calcium, magnesium and zinc, addressing multiple pain points such as poor nutrient absorption, intestinal aging and excessive blood lipids simultaneously.
Detox & body cleansing capsules, heavy metal protection functional tablets: Features chelation and excretion of intestinal toxins and heavy metals, catering to the physical burden relief demand of groups exposed to late nights, takeout diets and environmental pollution.
Complete staple food for adult dogs and cats, geriatric pet therapeutic maintenance food: Restructures pet intestinal flora, inhibits pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli, drastically reduces loose stools, stress-induced diarrhea and foul fecal odor in pets, improves feed digestibility and lowers the incidence of chronic gastroenteritis in companion animals.
Pet gastrointestinal conditioning treats, weaning milk replacer for senior young pets, urinary tract care functional snacks: Long-term maintenance of digestive tract homeostasis in companion animals, delays degenerative deterioration of gastrointestinal and pancreatic functions in aged dogs and cats, and reduces lower digestive tract infection risks.
Ornamental aquafeed: Improves intestinal digestive function of ornamental fish, reduces ammonia nitrogen pollution from fish feces in water bodies, and decreases the prevalence of bacterial enteritis in aquatic pets.
Foods for Special Medical Purpose (FSMP), enteral nutrition solutions for chemotherapy, radiotherapy and critically ill patients: Delivers gentle intestinal protection, maintains intestinal flora balance and mucosal integrity in severely ill populations, and prevents systemic infections caused by compromised intestinal barriers in critical cases.
Traditional Chinese Medicine oral granules, pharmaceutical dry suspensions, pharmaceutical oral excipients: Inert and stable in physicochemical properties without chemical reactions with active pharmaceutical ingredients of Chinese and Western medicines, with added values of auxiliary bacteriostasis and optimized gastrointestinal absorption. Externally applicable as a bacteriostatic matrix for skin wound repair dressings.
Starter and nursery feed for piglets, chicks and calves: Effectively alleviates weaning stress-induced bacterial diarrhea in young livestock, promotes villus development and maturation in small intestines of poultry and livestock, reduces farm antibiotic usage from the source, improves survival rate and daily weight gain of young animals, and complies with national antibiotic reduction and replacement breeding policies.
Complete compound feed for livestock and poultry, laying hen feed: Reduces pathogenic bacterial load in animal intestines, cuts ammonia emission from manure, improves livestock housing environment and elevates the quality of eggs and meat products.
Compound aquafeed for shrimp, crabs and fish: Strengthens intestinal barriers of aquatic species, optimizes feed conversion ratio, mitigates excessive nitrite and ammonia nitrogen in water caused by residual feed and feces, and supports green, antibiotic-free ecological aquaculture.
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