Chitosan is manufactured by UK-based Plater Bio and is extracted from specially cultured fungi.

Plater Bio the only manufacturer of fungal chitosan outside of China and aims to have the new material taken up by the industry as a replacement for isinglass as it is more effective and is suitable for vegan and organic uses, they said.

Dr Russell Sharp, Plater Bio technical director, explained: “At Plater Bio we are very excited about the benefits of this revolutionary product. Initial trials have shown that fungal chitosan is a far more powerful flocculant than crab chitosan for clarifying real ale.

“We have worked with unclarified samples of beer from Pot Belly Brewery in Kettering and the results have been excellent.”

Unlike the vast majority of chitosan imported from Asia, Plater Bio said its chitosan is not made from prawn heads and crab shells.

This is claimed to make the new material suitable for applications where animal waste is prohibited or where ingredients need to be vegan/halal/kosher.

Plater Bio’s Fungal Chitosan is also REACH regulation exempt as it is a natural polysaccharide, the company said.

In addition, this substance’s uses include removing humates and other contaminants in water treatment and protecting crops from fungi and bacterial diseases.