Premium
Chitin production by Lactobacillus fermentation of shrimp biowaste in a drum reactor and its chemical conversion to chitosan
Author(s) -
Rao Mukku Shrinivas,
Stevens Willem F
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.1286
Subject(s) - chitin , chitosan , shrimp , fermentation , chemistry , solubility , food science , raw material , nuclear chemistry , chemical engineering , chromatography , biochemistry , organic chemistry , biology , fishery , engineering
Abstract Chitin was produced by fermenting shrimp heads and shells with Lactobacillus plantarum 541 in a drum reactor with an internal volume of 3 dm3. The crude chitin yield from heads and shells was 4.5 and 13% respectively, comparable to the values obtained by the chemical method. For shrimp heads 83% deproteination and 88% demineralisation and for shrimp shells 66% deproteination and 63% demineralisation were achieved. The liquor obtained in both cases was of good sensory quality with a high content of essential amino acids and therefore with potential to produce protein powder for human consumption. The crude chitin was refined and converted to chitosan using 12.5 M NaOH. The chitosan obtained had a residual ash and protein content below 1%, a solubility of more than 98%, a viscosity in the range 50–400 cP and a degree of deacetylation of 81–84%. The molecular weight was in the range (0.8–1.4) × 10 6 Da. IR analysis indicated that the chitosan obtained through fermentation was similar to that obtained by the chemical method. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry