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Bioprocessing of chitin and chitosan

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Book cover Fisheries Processing

Abstract

Chitin is a non-toxic, biodegradable, high molecular weight, naturally occurring polymer of N-acetylglucosamine and glucosamine residues, which is widely distributed in nature. The constituent monosaccharide units in chitin are linked together by β(1–4) glycosidic bonds. It is the second most abundant natural polymer after cellulose (Ruiz-Herrera, 1978) with which it bears a structural resemblance, except that the some of the -OH groups bonding the second carbon position of cellulose are acetylated in chitin (Tsugita, 1991). Chitin is found associated with protein in the exoskeletons of marine invertebrates, insects and arachnids (Austin et al., 1981), and in the cell walls of various fungi and algae. Chitosan is the N-deacetylated form of chitin and is derived from chitin by deacetylation, i.e. the acetamide groups in chitin are substituted into amino groups in chitosan. Chitosan forms the body wall of most fungi, molds and yeasts (Ruiz-Herrera, 1978), and like chitin, chitosan is non-toxic and biodegradable. Chitin and chitosan are produced by fresh water invertebrates (e.g. arthropods, bryozoans and Zooplanktons) in eutrophic stagnant waters. In the fresh water environment, arthropods are the main chitin producers, with annual chitin production of about 51 g/m2). In the salt water environment, the major chitin producers include marine haloplanktonic crustaceans (e.g. copepods, cladecera and euphausiaceae); and marine benthic and pelagic species (including various crustaceans, hydrozoans and bryozoans). Some terrestrial animals also possess chitinous integuments (e.g. insects, Crustacea, annelids and mollusks), while fungi, molds and yeasts also possess chitinous cell walls (Ruiz-Herrera, 1978). In animals, these chitinous polymers carry out a protective and/or mechanical function, serving as ‘envelopes’ for eggs and other latent forms of life such as cysts; they contribute to the formation of locomotor appendages and masticatory organs such as jaws and radula; and also serve a protective role in the intestinal mucosa of some arthropods and annelids (Muzzarelli, 1977).

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  1. B. K. Simpson
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  2. N. Gagne
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  3. M. V. Simpson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John’s, Canada

    A. M. Martin

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Simpson, B.K., Gagne, N., Simpson, M.V. (1994). Bioprocessing of chitin and chitosan. In: Martin, A.M. (eds) Fisheries Processing. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5303-8_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5303-8_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

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