Preparation and characteristics of squid pen β‐chitin prepared under optimal deproteinisation and demineralisation condition

Summary Squid ( T odarodes pacifica ) pen was an excellent source of β‐chitin with 25.5% yield. The optimal condition to prepare squid pen β‐chitin was established: deproteinisation with 3% NaOH for 30 min at 15 psi/121 °C and a solid/solvent ratio of 1:10 (w/v) and a subsequent demineralisation with 1 N HC l for 30 min at room temperature and a solid/solvent ratio of 1:10 (w/v). Squid pen β‐chitin contained 6.29% nitrogen, 0.25% ash, and negligible fat with degree of acetylation of 94.02%, residual amino acid of 0.499 g/100 g and bulk density of 0.28 g mL −1 . Depending on its particle size, squid pen β‐chitin visually looked white ( L*  = 82.82, a*  = −0.67, b*  = 6.31; particle size of 0.15–0.18 mm) or light grey ( L*  = 62.88, a*  = 0.33, b*  = 10.66; particle size of 0.425–0.841 mm). Water, fat and dye‐binding capacity of squid pen β‐chitin was 694.67%, 194.03% and 79.81%, respectively.