Dec 12, 2025

All About Consequence™

Chitosan, reimagined: Make pathogens face the Consequence™

Part One: What is it, where does it come from?

Nature finds different ways to write resilience into cell walls. For example, plants strengthen themselves via silicon uptake from the environment or via production of the complex phenolic polymer that is lignin. In other biological kingdoms, fungi, insects, and crustaceans build strength and protection with chitin, a tough structural polysaccharide. When this chitin molecule is partially deacetylated (a small change to the molecules’ chemical composition), it becomes chitosan, which is the active ingredient in our new EPA exempt 25(b) biopesticide, Consequence.

You might wonder: if it is just a structural molecule, how does it also act as a defense against both soil born and foliar diseases as well as nematodes and viruses? Interestingly, though it comes from other kingdoms, it is a substance that plants recognize as both a warning signal and a call to action. To a plant, chitosan is a messenger that says: “Defend, adapt, prepare.” In a minute, we’ll talk a little bit more about how.

Chitin vs. Chitosan — Why the difference between these molecules matters

It’s easy to confuse the cousin molecules chitin and chitosan, but there are key differences. Chitin is rigid and insoluble, found in crab shells and fungal walls, and while it is used in agriculture, it must rely on environmental processes to solubilize it and make it work as a microbe and plant food, soil conditioner, or pest defense. Chitosan, by contrast, because of its different chemical status, is soluble and bioactive—readily taken up or recognized by plants. The small chemical shift makes all the difference because it turns chitosan into more than a structure — it becomes a signal too.

Why Consequence is different from other chitosan products

Most commercial chitosan comes from shellfish waste streams. While functional, it raises issues for growers concerned about allergen residues, product consistency, and sustainability.

Consequence is different because it is:

Fungal-derived → (vegan, shellfish allergen-free) from a biomedical source, which is safer and more sustainable.
Formulated with citric acid → which improves solubility and avoids harsh chemical processing.
Designed for compatibility → built to mix easily into tank programs without gelling or clogging.

Comparison of fungus-derived vs. shellfish-derived chitosan

Here are some of the differences between a chitosan that is derived from fungus and a chitosan derived from shellfish.

Production and Consistency

	Fungus-Derived Chitosan	Shellfish-Derived Chitosan
Raw material supply	Fungi can be grown in controlled conditions year-round, ensuring a consistent and stable supply.	Dependent on seasonal and regional availability of crustacean waste from the seafood industry.
Extraction process	Simpler, milder extraction since fungal biomass has low mineral content and naturally contains chitosan.	Requires harsh acids/alkalis at high temperatures to strip minerals and proteins from shells.
Environmental impact	Greener process with less chemical use and waste	Creates significant wastewater and chemical waste from concentrated acid/base use.
Product consistency	Controlled fermentation → more uniform molecular weight and deacetylation properties.	More inherent variability in crustacean waste → less consistent product properties batch-to-batch.

Safety and Biological Properties

	Fungus-Derived Chitosan	Shellfish-Derived Chitosan
Allergenicity	Free from crustacean allergens (like tropomyosin) → safer for individuals with shellfish allergies.	May contain residual shellfish proteins, posing allergy risks.
Heavy metals	Cultivated in controlled media → lower risk of heavy metal contamination (e.g., mercury, nickel) and no Prop 65 concerns.	Can accumulate heavy metals from marine environments.
Bioactivity	Often higher bioactivity depending on fungal strain and extraction method.	Bioactivity is more variable due to inconsistent product properties.
Molecular weight (Mw)	Typically lower MW, less viscous.	Typically higher MW, more viscous.

Conclusion:

Chitosan may begin its life as a structural molecule, but in agriculture it becomes something far more dynamic—a direct defense against pests and pathogens but also a biological signal that plants understand and act upon to defend themselves. And with Consequence, that signal is cleaner, safer, and more consistent than traditional shellfish-derived products. By starting with a fungal source, using gentler chemistry, and intentionally engineering a grower-friendly formulation, we’ve taken a naturally powerful molecule and made it reliably functional for modern production systems.

Understanding where chitosan comes from—and why its chemistry matters—is the first step. Now that we’ve covered the “what” and the “why,” we can move into what matters most: how Consequence performs in crops, and how to integrate it into a program. Part Two is where the molecule meets the field. Let’s go there.