Abstract
Chitin is one of the most abundant natural polysaccharides in the world and it is mainly used to produce chitosan by a deacetylation process. In the present study, the extraction of chitin and chitosan from the Parastacus pugnax (P. pugnax) crayfish exoskeleton was studied for the first time. Thus, the P. pugnax crayfish exoskeleton was converted to chitosan following the steps of depigmentation, deproteinization, and deacetylation. The produced chitosan (Chitosan-CGNA) was characterized in terms of the protein content, solubility, degree of deacetylation, viscosity, molecular weight, FTIR, SEM, XRD, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activity. The results showed that the obtained chitosan had a high degree of deacetylation (91.55%) and a medium molecular weight (589.43 kDa). The antibacterial activity of the chitosan was tested against bacterial strains relevant for the food industry and the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were evidenced with Salmonella tiphymurium (S. typhimurium), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and Listeria. Monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). Moreover, the Chitosan-CGNA showed an effect on DPPH radical scavenging activity, and its antioxidant activity was dependent on concentration and deacetylation degree. These results suggest that P. pugnax exoskeleton could be an excellent natural source for the production of chitosan with potential applications in the health system, and to prevent infections associated with pathogens strains.
Highlights
The burrowing crayfish (Parastacus pugnax) is endemic to central-southern Chile and is found continuously between the Aconcagua River in the Valparaíso Region and the town of Nehuentué in La Araucanía Region, Chile [1]
The chitosan obtained from P. pugnax crayfish exoskeleton reached a deacetylation degree (DD) value of 91.5%, which was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than commercial chitosan (85.1%)
The variations observed in the DD between Chitosan-CGNA and commercial chitosan can be attributed to the purification methods and the reaction conditions used in this study
Summary
The burrowing crayfish (Parastacus pugnax) is endemic to central-southern Chile and is found continuously between the Aconcagua River in the Valparaíso Region and the town of Nehuentué in La Araucanía Region, Chile [1]. Parastacus pugnax is one of six species of the family Parastacidae inhabiting the fresh rivers of Chile, which supports the greatest extraction effort for human consumption [2]. Parastacus Pugnax is a very valuable natural resource for smallholder farmers from southern Chile (e.g., La Araucanía), which is exploited in a sustainable way for consumption and commercialization by local communities. During the Parastacus Pugnax crayfish processing and consumption, a large number of by-products such as the exoskeleton, skin, and viscera are produced and usually discarded. Conversion of the P. pugnax shrimp exoskeleton waste material into valuable added products is a great opportunity to mitigate environmental problems. The valorization of fishery discarded by-products has received much attention due to the increasing awareness of its economic potential and environmental impacts [4]
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