Biotechnological processes for chitin recovery out of crustacean waste: A mini-review

Novel biological and chemical methods of chitin extraction from crustacean waste using saline water

“…Crustacean wastes are the major wastes produced from industrial processing of seafoods, such as shells of crab, shrimp, prawn, krill and lobster. 1,2 The annual worldwide production of crustaceans for 2008 was around 10 795 000 tonnes in comparison with 6 091 869 tonnes in 2005 (FAO, 2008 and 2010). 1,3 Crustacean waste causes unpleasant odors, and environmental pollution posing a problem for processing plants requiring immediate treatment.…”

“…1,2 The annual worldwide production of crustaceans for 2008 was around 10 795 000 tonnes in comparison with 6 091 869 tonnes in 2005 (FAO, 2008 and 2010). 1,3 Crustacean waste causes unpleasant odors, and environmental pollution posing a problem for processing plants requiring immediate treatment. 4 Seafood processing and consumption generate tonnes of shrimp waste annually; in 1989, the total amount of crustacean wastes produced in Québec was 9 587 tonnes.…”

“…3,6 The seafood processing waste consists of 45% shrimp waste, which accounts for 50-70% of the weight of raw material. 1 About 5% of shrimp waste is used for animal feed and the rest is left as such leading to decomposition representing its limited utilization. 6 Crustacean wastes are the most important source of chitin (20-30%) along with protein (30-40%) and mineral content (30-50%) at varying percentage, depending upon the species and seasonal variations.…”

“…7 Chitin with its chitosan (deacetylated derivative) has applications in food, biotechnological products, agriculture, wastewater treatment, pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, and textiles. 1 Current industrial methods rely on chemical processes for isolation of chitin involving: (1) grinding; (2) demineralization (DM) with strong acids; (3) deproteination (DP) with alkali medium at 90-100 ∘ C followed by; (4) pigment removal using solvent extraction or chemical oxidation. 1,8 Furthermore, the chemical steps are generally performed under high temperature conditions requiring high energy input.…”

Systems analysis of the glycoside hydrolase family 18 enzymes from Cellvibrio japonicus characterizes essential chitin degradation functions

“…The strategies used by microbes for efficient chitin bioconversion are gaining interest, as current chemical methods used for the industrial processing of chitin are inefficient and wasteful (7,8). Therefore, the combination of environmental importance and industrial/medical relevance has renewed interest in the bioconversion of chitin (9,10).…”