Decolorization of Brown Chitooligomers in Aqueous Solution by Ozonation

Brown chitooligomers were obtained by gamma irradiation. Decolorization of brown chitooligomers in aqueous solution by ozonation was investigated. It was found that ozone could decolorize the brown chitooligomers in aqueous solution. When the pH value was below 2.93, the ozone treatment could inhibit yellowing and browning of chitooligomers in aqueous solution. As a result, the chitooligomers were slightly depolymerized by ozonation. The characterization showed that the decolorization by ozonation did not lead to the significant modification of chemical structure of the chitooligomers.