Investigation of β-chitin extracted from cuttlefish: comparison with squid β-chitin

Abstract

β-chitins are extracted from two different parts of cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis officinalis) bone; the shell and the thin layer. They are then subjected to N-deacetylation reactions to prepare chitosans using the Broussignac or the Kurita process. The physicochemical characteristics of chitins and chitosans are compared to those obtained in the case of squid (Loligo vulgaris) β-chitin. In this work, the role of the source in determining the reaction behavior, during the extraction of chitin and the preparation of chitosan, is confirmed, although it is a β-chitin of two taxonomically close species. In particular, we show that the differences observed can be related to the differences in molar masses of the starting chitins, their crystallinity index and the rates of molecular degradation which accompany the N-deacetylation reactions. Finally, it was demonstrated that the huge quantities of bones rejected each year by the cuttlefish processing units from Dakhla city, alone, can be valorized by the production of about 77 tons of β-chitin that can be transformed into 60 tons of chitosan (presenting low degree of acetylation and molar masses ranging from 78,000 to 340,000 g/mol).