JSC Vostok-Bor was founded in 1999 by Fishing Kolkhoz Vostok-1.

Because at crab fishery the carapace had normally been discarded, thus causing unfavorable environmental situation, it was decided to begin wasteless processing of crabs. Vostok-Bor produces chitin and chitosan from crab shell. Owing to their bioactive components, our products have found application in the following fields:

•  Nuclear industry : localization of radioactivity and concentration of radioactive wastes ;
•  Medicine : as suture material, wound- and burn-healing aids. A component of ointments and various medicinal preparations as enterosorbent ;
•  Agriculture : production of fertilizers, protection of seeds and cultivated plants ;
•  Textile industry : smoothing, shrink-proofing and water-repellent treatment of fabrics;
•  Paper and photographic industry : production of supreme-quality and special sorts of paper, as well as for improved properties of photographic materials;
•  Food industry : serves as preservative , juice and wine clearer, dietary fiber, emulsifier;
•  Perfumery and cosmetics : a component of moisturizing creams, lotions, gels, hair sprays, shampoos;
•  Water purification : serves as sorbent and flocculant .

Absolute safety to the human being and environment is an undisputable asset of chitosan. In nature it decomposes completely. It is ecologically clean.

Sewage waters of food industry enterprises contain mainly organic substances which oxidize to environmentally safe compounds in natural conditions. Chitosan can serve as a flocculating agent at protein deposition which enables to use it for water purification in industrial process. Being a weak cationic flocculant, chitosan is more efficient in depositing of protein compared to usual methods. The product of water purification can be utilized as an organic fertilizer in farming industry. It has been found efficient to use chitosan to isolate detrimental impurities from process flows directed to sedimentary basins and holding ponds, as well as from waste waters flowing from those ponds to rivers.

Chitosan enables to isolate metals from ore-dressing wastes. Waste waters of certain industrial processes also contain organic compounds.

Waste waters of industrial plants often contain dangerous and high-toxic components (metals, radionuclides, other toxicants), in order to isolate which various reagents are used. Adsorbents are used not only for water purification, but also for regeneration of rare-earth elements and metals of platinum group. Industrial technologies for metal extraction from solutions apply the electrolysis method. Chitosan can be used in this process as adsorbent. There are also technologies using granules consisting of chitosan and magnetic powder which are held in the liquid flow under purification by means of magnetic field. Adsorbed elements are removed from the adsorbent from time to time by washing with a solution of different acidity.

Chitosan is also used for drinking water purification . The purifying agent consists of chitosan and approximately 10 parts of special activated bentonite clay as a mineral adsorbent of odorous and dyed pollutants. Also, chitosan has been tested in combination with sulphurous aluminum which is a traditional coagulant. The results show that chitosan can act as coagulant and flocculant. Chitosan can be used in increased concentration whenever sewage treatment facilities have to accept extremely polluted water (e.g. in case of rainfall floods, ecological disasters in water withdrawal structures), while concentration of usual reagents is limited by sanitary norms. Chitosan remains efficient at low temperatures.

The advantages of chitosan as a water purifying agent consist in its absolute safety. The product of water purification can be utilized as an organic fertilizer in agriculture.

Adsorbing properties of chitosan are used for removing scattered heavy metals and radionuclides from natural circulation by means of adding chitosan to soil. Nowadays there is a multipurpose eco-recovering ameliorant on the basis of chitosan and natural peat sapropel. It helps transform toxicants into a slow-moving and inaccessible to plants form; enhancing selective adsorbing activity in respect to heavy metals and radionuclides, it increases soil fertility in conditions of man-caused pollution.

Research conducted by the Physics and Chemistry Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences has demonstrated that chitosan-based materials can effectively isolate uranium and its fission products from complex aqueous media of various compositions. Thus, absorption of uranium from nitric acid solutions achieves 800 mg per 1 g of sorbent, absorption of strontium from the same media – 80-95%, of plutonium – 90-95% (at low concentration of the latter two). Palladium – a valuable product of nuclear fuel processing – is almost 100% extracted from acid solutions. Chitosan derivatives were tested for isolation of uranium from mine waters. The tests have shown that the content of uranium in mine waters can be reduced by 2-3 times, after which waters are not ecologically hazardous any more.

Efficiency of chitosan-based sorbent in extraction of transuranic elements from aqueous solutions enables to use it in liquid radioactive wastes processing plants. The sorbent equally well extracts various forms of plutonium, including Pu-5, which is the most dangerous when getting in the environment due to its high diffusibility. It should also be mentioned that sorption of plutonium is not visibly influenced by presence of alkali and alkali-earth salts which is important for use in extracting of transuranic elements from sea water.

In conclusion we would like to note that the main objective of use of chitosan as a sorbent of nuclides, salts of heavy metals and other toxic substances is environment enhancement and maintenance of human health.

Chitosan demonstrates unique results as an enterosorbent . It soaks up fat and cholesterol in the digestive tract. Positively charged chitosan is attracted to negatively charged fat, thus withdrawing from the organism 10-12 times as much fat as its molecular weight. Besides, chitosan has a general cleansing effect on the organism: it absorbs toxic substances and incomplete digestion products from the intestines contents and blood, stops allergic reactions, enhances function of the intestines, liver and kidneys. So, products enriched with chitosan can be used as dietetic food.

Chitosan possesses high sorption properties. It is no-toxic, has a wound-healing effect, anti-coagulative, anti-trombogenic, bactericidal and anti-tumor action. Chitosan binds salts of heavy metals, can expel toxins from the organism. It inhibits secretion of hydrochloric acid, lowers blood cholesterol level, enhances immunity and has anti-allergic action. Being a natural product, chitosan is absolutely safe and compatible with tissues of the human organism.

Indications:

•  All forms of obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis and its complications, benign and malignant tumors;
•  Chronic gastritis B, peptic ulcer disease, colitis and cholecystitis, other diseases of the digestive tract;
•  Alcoholic and narcotic intoxication, food and heavy metal salt poisoning, allergic reactions, traumas and diseases of bones.

Because of its biological properties, including the ability to enhance reproduction of bifid bacteria that make the intestines healthier, chitosan has found its application in food industry, including dairy industry.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in production of combined protein products on a natural basis throughout the world. Such approach makes it possible to get products with new properties of increased nutritious and biologic value. Dairy industry has started using of polysaccharides of animal origin to dissociate skimmed milk to protein and casein-free fractions. Chitosan was dissolved in acetic acid and used as gel. Chitosan-gel was added to skimmed milk, stirred and left at rest for 30 minutes. Under the influence of thermodynamic incompatibility, there took place dissociation of milk into protein fraction and polysaccharide protein-free fraction. Intensity of formation of protein-chitosan complexes and their structure varied much, depending on the mixture temperature, gel-to-milk ratio, and active acidity of chitosan-gel. The best results were obtained at 30 ° C, gel-to-milk ratio = 1:5, and gel PH 4.5 units; depending on the conditions of milk dissociation into fractions, protein concentrate structures varied. The concentrates received under the optimum conditions had original layer consistence. Protein concentrate can be used as a fortifier in production of cottage cheese products, processed cheese, cheese sauces and pastes, especially in combination with other food components, additives and flavorings, as well as in production of other foodstuffs.

N-carboxymetylchitosan – a water dissoluble derivative of chitosan, binding to food proteins, prevents the latter from reactions with oxygen, and thereby from a row of taste-destroying reactions. By combining with meat proteins, this water dissoluble component diminishes meat spoilage. It binds iron atoms and prevents them from oxidizing, i.e. from a number of reactions destroying taste qualities of meat.

Chitosan is a food product stabilizer , which opens wide possibilities of use in production of sauce, yoghurt, paste and other foodstuffs. The ability of chitosan to inhibit mold growth is used for developing of cheese mold-resistant coatings. Chitosan can help keep moisture and, vice versa, protect from moisture. Edible packing film, as well as digestible packaging (e.g. for soldiers' field meals) can be made from chitosan.

Facts of beneficial effect of chitosan on the healthy skin , as well as on wounds and burns, became known long ago. Examination of the restored tissues has indicated that chitosan causes fast concentrating of white blood cells in the place where they could weaken infection.

Chitin-based bandages can be applied to burns, flesh wounds and at skin transplantation. When applied to wounds, these bandages speed the healing process, abate pain, reduce the scar, and do not stick to the wound surface. There are also collagenous sponges with chitosan and antiseptics for wound healing, and burn-treating gel balm. Being water-dissoluble and air-penetrable, chitosan film is well endured by patients, has a stimulating effect on regeneration process in wounds and can be recommended for treatment of burns, small skin traumas, trophic ulcer, bed-sores.

Being positively charged, chitosan attaches to the bone white blood corpuscles – macrophages which can easily transport chemical substances, helping transform damaged bone cells into normal cells of a healthy bone. All this offers wide possibilities to treat bone and periodontal diseases . Chitosan powders (e.g. chitosan ascorbate) promote healing of wounds after tooth extraction and serious operations on gums.

The chitosan derivative known as chitosan sulphonate has demonstrated an ability to prevent formation of blood clots, which is vital to success of surgical operations . On the other hand, chitosan can help form a blood clot, i.e. can serve as a seal at blood-vessel transplantation.

Chitosan is used for production of bio-decomposing suture materials . These suture materials stay in tissues long enough, until incarnation, but then decompose slowly, consequently, there is no need to remove them. Unlike many other bio-decomposing suture materials, these do not cause allergic reactions and remain durable.

Because chitosan decomposes gradually under the influence of the organism's enzymes, it has antimicrobial action and has apparent advantages in prevention of eye infections . At cataract removal or artificial crystalline lens implantation, chitosan derivatives can be added to the natural tear.

Chitosan derivatives can be used for systematical supplying of medicines into the organism or locally, to certain body parts, as well as for continuous discharge and gradual delivery of medicines within a period of time. There are oral capsules made of digestible chitosan film. The capsules open and discharge their contents only after they touch a certain organ, which makes treatment very efficient.

The ability of chitosan to bind heavy metals and radionuclides has been evaluated in tests performed on farm animals fed with polluted fodder. The results have demonstrated that chitosan, when included in the tested animals' ration, lowered the milk and meat pollution level. Today chitosan is widely used in animal and fish feed .

Chitosan is also used for treatment and prevention of gastroenteric upset of young farm animals, as a carrier of veterinarian drugs, owing to its ability to pass through the ruminant animals' multicompartment stomach undestroyed.

On basis of chitosan there has been produced a liquid fertilizer Narcissus . This environmentally clean comprehensive-effect preparation has high biological activity for a wide range of agricultural plants. It enables to increase productivity by 25-30%, completely protects plants from fungous diseases . It does not cause habituation and allows to reduce herbicide costs, as the strong and thick shoots of plants treated with Narcissus do not allow weed to grow.

The ability of chitosan to form moisture-holding film , reduce bacteria quantity and extend life of skin of perishable products has become the basis of preparations improving preservation capacity of fruit and vegetables. The US Agricultural Department has performed successful studies, putting chitosan-coated apples for 6-month storage. The apples remained fresh, as chitosan coating protected them from oxidation and rot.

Chitosan is also used for seeds treatment which helps increase yields. Seeds coated with chitosan give more disease-resistant shoots with enhanced immune system. Further on, plants have strong root systems and stems and good tips, which help the plants obtain maximum nutrients and moisture, as well as weaken soil erosion.

Chitosan is a cationic polysaccharide with immunostimulating properties and is known as disease-resistance inducer. Protecting activity of chitosan is based on activation of plant's natural (immune) resources in respond to appearance of phyto-pathogens. What is also important is that chitosan is a good growth-regulating substance. Its growth-regulating activity is explained by formation of nitrogen at chitosan decomposition, which is easily assimilated due to closeness to the target object.

Chitosan can be widely used in cosmetics thanks to its structure-forming properties, compatibility with organism and ability to keep moisture. Chitosan carries a strong positive electrostatic charge which enables it to get attached to negatively charged surfaces like hair and skin.

The first studies of chitosan as a material for beauty industry were done in the 1980-s by the German firm Wella , a largest hair cosmetics producer. Wide use of chitosan in this field began in the middle 1980-s, when the Japanese company Fine Cosmetic developed a series of chitosan-containing preparations for hair care.

The ability of chitosan to form colorless viscous solutions in acids was used in its application as a structure forming agent. Chitosan salts, especially those of glycolic and lactic acids, have created a niche in the market of skin care preparations. These ‘fruit acids' of natural origin, known as alpha-hydroxy acids, are popular as materials helping peel off skin.

Water insolubility of chitosan was an obstacle to its wide application in cosmetics; this is why its water dissoluble forms – chitosan succinate and other – have been developed.

Chitosan is a component of creams, shampoos, shower gels, liquid soap, gel toothpastes, hair lotions, styling and curling preparations.

An important quality of chitosan used in hair care preparations is its adsorption on hair. Chitosan has a few times larger moisture-holding ability in comparison with low-molecular compounds normally used for this purpose in hair care preparations. Owing to the moisture held, conductivity of hair grows, accumulation of electrostatic charge slows down, while simultaneous presence of cation groups results in significant elimination of negative charge from the hair surface due to neutralization; as a result, chitosan demonstrates more apparent antistatic properties compared to other surfactants.

Chitosan is also suitable to form a very smooth film on the hair surface which makes hair combing easier.

Nowadays, chitosan and its derivatives are used in production by such popular firms as L'Oreal ( France ), Wella ( Germany ), Linda , Elsi+ , Ignat-Pharma ( Russia ). The firms Skena+ , Loren-Cosmetic , Kora Company have been working in this direction actively.

Vostok-Bor is the sole producer of Zostera extract – bioactive substance from pectin of the Zosteracea family seaweeds – on an industrial scale. Chemically, this biopolymer is a polysaccharide from galacturonic acid residues. Because the oligosaccharide side-chains include, besides usual neutral sugars, apiose, the structure of Zostera extract contains a large-molecular fragment apiogalacturonan which defines the considerable resistance of the molecule to bacterial pectinase in the human colon. This peculiarity of Zostera extract, which other pectins do not have, is the reason for its largest antidotal ability in regard to polyvalent metal compounds . While citrus and apple pectins are almost fully hydrolyzed by the colon microflora, thus making partial absorbtion of previously bound metal compounds possible, Zostera extract, through its pectinase resistrance, keeps 80% of its polymeric condition and expels the basic part of absorbed metal compounds together with excrements.

The high sorption activity of Zostera extract in terms of heavy metals is caused by a low degree of its molecules methoxylation (below 10%) compared to citrus pectin (40%) and apple pectin (70-80%). Besides, a large number of free carboxy groups provide the quantity of anionic binding places for cations, including polyvalent metals. Owing to the same properties, Zostera extract possesses certain sorption activity toward a number of nuclides and many food contaminants (pecticides, toxins and other).

Zostera extract demonstrates treatment and preventive effect not only on lead that got inside the human organism, but also on previously re-sorbed metal. When the latter gets into the gastrointestinal tract together with bile, introduction of Zostera extract reduces resorption of lead and increases its excretion. Besides, like other natural pectins, Zostera extract has a normalizing effect on cholesterol exchange and on the colonic microflora .

Results of broad toxicological, hygienic and pharmacological studies have shown that Zostera extract has no toxic and allergenic properties. In accordance with Statement of the Institute of nutrition of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences №72-1191 dated 01.09.1990, the USSR Ministry of Health Care permits to use Zostera extract as food supplement in healthful and dietary meals.

Thus, Zostera extract as natural enterosorbent can be used for treatment and prevention of poisonings caused by heavy metal salts, readionuclides and other toxic substances. Use of Zostera extract in combination with adequate ration leads to enchancement of protective and recovering forces of the organism and to maintenance of high performance.

Production facilities of Vostok-Bor enable to produce up to 5,000 kg of chitosan and 100 kg of dry extracts per month. JSC Vostok-Bor is interested in market expansion and search for foreign partners.

We would be pleased to cooperate with you.

Our contact numbers:
Tel ./fax:+7-4232-45-19-68
E-mail: v1bor@hotbox.ru