Abstract
BACKGROUND Several techniques have been proposed to recover chitin from shrimp waste using large amounts of freshwater and chemicals. The standard chemical recovery of chitin was first compared by replacing fresh water with seawater. In addition, a biotechnological process with Bacillus subtilis (B1) and Bacillus licheniformis (B2) using seawater during all steps of chitin extraction was studied. RESULTS The demineralization rate (DM) was statistically significant when using seawater (P=0.000020) and chemical recovery in comparison with deproteinization (DP). Increasing HCl concentration (from 1 to 1.28 mol L−1) and reaction time (from 60 to 90 min) resulted in DM similar to fresh water (P>0.05). Highest DP rates were obtained with crude protease (B1; DP ≈74%) and (B2: DP ≈84%), when fermentation was carried out for 24 h at an enzyme/substrate ratio of 2. Maximum DP was reached (≈79% for B1 and ≈ 82% for B2) after 15 days, while DM ranged between 55 and 60%. CONCLUSION Combined enzymatic DP (with B2) followed by a chemical DM process was used to produce chitin (DP≈84%, DM≈94%) which, on transformation to chitosan, showed a degree of deacetylation equivalent to ≈ 71%. This combined approach using seawater could transform crustacean waste into chitin products of commercial value. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
