Improved chitin production by pretreatment of shrimp shells

Abstract

Pretreatment of shrimp shells was investigated in order to lower the costs and to improve the sustainability of chitin production. Physical pretreatment comprising drying, grinding and sieving is attractive for the recovery of 50% of shrimp protein as a dry powder. Pretreatment of shells by shearing in acidified water results in the removal of up to 60% of the protein and a reduction of their mineral content without a decrease in the chitin yield. Both pretreatment procedures will lead to cleaner technology for chitin production, to a considerably lower need for chemicals, to useful protein by-products, and to less-contaminated industrial effluent.

Marine shells: Potential opportunities for extraction of functional and health-promoting materials

“…As synthetic HA has a similar chemical makeup to human hard tissue it has a favourable chemical and biological affinity to bone tissue (37,38). Due to these similar chemical properties with mineralized bone matrices, synthetic HA therefore provides excellent osteoconductive, bioactive and biocompatible properties (29,36,38).…”

“…Osteoconduction is improved by the small particle size of TCP and an interconnected sponge-like matrix is formed that allows fibrovascular invasion and bone production (29,36).…”

“…Therefore, synthetic apatites for use in bone graft repairs have been of interest for decades [76]. HA is a crystalline form of calcium phosphate with the chemical formula Ca 10 [(PO 4 ) 6 (OH 2 )] (29). Naturally produced HA makes up the majority of the mineral phase of bone (37).…”

Perspectives on the Utilization of Aquaculture Coproduct in Europe and Asia: Prospects for Value Addition and Improved Resource Efficiency

“…Applications include disease resistant coatings for agriculture and maintaining freshness of produce, in industrial polymers used for paper and textiles, halal cosmetics, and medical purposes such as wound dressings, slow release drug and encapsulation technologies. It is also commonly marketed as a slimming aid (Lallemont 2008;Aye and Stevens 2004;Coward-Kelly et al 2006;Percot et al 2003;Synowiecki and Al-Khateeb 2003).…”

“…Shrimp hydrolysate is a protein concentrate for which LCI data were collected from experimental production by one company in South America and commercial production However, there have also been concerns that chitosan production may be responsible for environmental impact through intensive processes, using strong acids and alkalis, which may be released within resulting effluents, particularly in smaller scale production facilities (Trung 2010;Aye et al 2004;Pacheco et al 2009). Trade-offs also exist in the value-addition that may be achieved vs. the environmental impact in most cases.…”