Читать книгу Polysaccharides - Группа авторов - Страница 82

Polysaccharides from seaweeds are a source of food among Asia Pacific region. Due to their chemical constituents like alginate, carrageenan and agar, these are commercially important seaweed worth millions of dollars. Alginate and carrageenan are industrially relevant and are extensively studied [200, 201]. Chitosan exhibits antifungal activity as it is able to interrupt fungal growth, by forming a permeable layer/film at the point of interference and simultaneously activating the defense mechanism in plants like accumulation of chitinases, lignification etc. Chitosan treated chili seeds were able to withstand infection better against Colletotrichum sp. with improved results [202]. There are reports about reduced infection in roses and celery against Botrytis cinereal, Peronospora sparsa, Sphaerotheca pannosa and Fusarium oxysporum [203–205]. Also tomato plants were more resistant against Phytopthora infestans due to the presence of chitosan [206, 207]. The effective bioactivity of these polysaccharides relies on their purity and molecular weight [201].