Patent ID: 7195675

Claim:
A chitosan-containing polysaccharide characterized in having each of characteristics (a)–(h): (a) Constituent Saccharides of said polysaccharide consisting essentially of glucosamine and glucose in a molar ratio of from 1:5 to 5:1; (b) Molecular Weight of said polysaccharide of from about 50,000 to about 400,000; (c) Structural Units of said polysaccharide consisting essentially of chitosan moieties and glucan moieties; (d) Linkages of said polysaccharide comprising β(1→4) bonds and β(1→6) bonds but not comprising β(1→3) bonds; (e) Hydrolyzation with enzyme: the polysaccharide is not hydrolyzed with a cellulase, but is hydrolyzed into oligosaccharides by the action of a chitosanase; (f) Absence of Proteins and Reducing Polysaccharides in said polysaccharide; (g) Color of said polysaccharide being colorless; (h) Said polysaccharide being soluble in an aqueous acetic acid, malic acid or ascorbic acid solution having a concentration ranging from 5 to 10% by mass; said polysaccharide being insoluble in water, ethanol and an alkaline aqueous solution having a pH value of not less than 10.