3.3 Chemistry of Chitin
37
derivative of chitin which has gained demand over the years. Glucosamine is the
monomer sugar unit obtained from depolymerization of chitosan. It has the chemical
structure shown below (Hulsey 2018). Glucosamine and acetyl glucosamine have
been proven to have some bioactive properties such as anticancer and treatment
of osteoarthritis when administered intravenously or orally as a food supplement
(Azuma et al. 2015).
3.4 Availability of Raw Materials
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported global production of fish, crustacean, mollusk and other aquatic animals (excluding aquatic
mammals and reptiles) of 171 million tonnes in 2016. The highest ever recorded
since 1961. This rise in aquatic food production and capture can be attributed to various factors both ecological and economic. There are increased global efforts toward
sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture.
The consumption of fish-based food has also doubled in recent years. This increase
in consumption of aquatic sourced food also implies an increase in generation of
aquatic waste. These aquatic wastes are a rich source of biopolymers of much environmental and economic significance. With the majority of fish being exported from
developing countries as at 2017, further value addition to aquatic resources would
significantly boost these economies as non-food products; for example, biopolymers
are sourced from the aquatic resources. On the other hand, high-value fish such as
lobsters and shrimps are being imported into developing countries as the middleclass demand for higher-quality products as spending capacity increases. The shells
for chitin production are usually sourced from post-consumption as the aquatic food
such as lobsters is usually served or sold to the consumer with the shell in order to
preserve freshness. This implies an increase in the availability of the chitin resource
in these regions or at best a wider spread availability in multiple regions.
Up to 100 billion tonnes of chitin can be produced by a species of crustacean annually. The Prince Edward Island located in eastern Canada, for example, is reported to
produce around 15 million pounds in weight of shells. This includes around 4 million pounds of lobster shells and 8 million pounds of crab shells. Taken that two-thirds
of the mass would be water and based on the reported composition of chitin in crustacean shells, a quarter of this is estimated to be chitin. About 50% would be mostly
calcium carbonate, while about 25% would be protein. Additionally, a valuable dye
can also be extracted from the shells.
The main sources of chitin are from crabs and shrimp shell. Although research
output has shown availability from other sources, these are presently the sources
being most explored on a commercial scale. For chitin production for biopolymer to
be practical, sustainable and economically viable, there first needs to be a reliable
and sustainable source of the aquatic resources which serve as the source of the
feedstocks. Here, we review the availability of the main sources of chitin.
Shrimps, lobsters, crabs and gastropods are among the high-value captured
seafood species, and the rate of catch has been reported to have shown a record
37
derivative of chitin which has gained demand over the years. Glucosamine is the
monomer sugar unit obtained from depolymerization of chitosan. It has the chemical
structure shown below (Hulsey 2018). Glucosamine and acetyl glucosamine have
been proven to have some bioactive properties such as anticancer and treatment
of osteoarthritis when administered intravenously or orally as a food supplement
(Azuma et al. 2015).
3.4 Availability of Raw Materials
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported global production of fish, crustacean, mollusk and other aquatic animals (excluding aquatic
mammals and reptiles) of 171 million tonnes in 2016. The highest ever recorded
since 1961. This rise in aquatic food production and capture can be attributed to various factors both ecological and economic. There are increased global efforts toward
sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture.
The consumption of fish-based food has also doubled in recent years. This increase
in consumption of aquatic sourced food also implies an increase in generation of
aquatic waste. These aquatic wastes are a rich source of biopolymers of much environmental and economic significance. With the majority of fish being exported from
developing countries as at 2017, further value addition to aquatic resources would
significantly boost these economies as non-food products; for example, biopolymers
are sourced from the aquatic resources. On the other hand, high-value fish such as
lobsters and shrimps are being imported into developing countries as the middleclass demand for higher-quality products as spending capacity increases. The shells
for chitin production are usually sourced from post-consumption as the aquatic food
such as lobsters is usually served or sold to the consumer with the shell in order to
preserve freshness. This implies an increase in the availability of the chitin resource
in these regions or at best a wider spread availability in multiple regions.
Up to 100 billion tonnes of chitin can be produced by a species of crustacean annually. The Prince Edward Island located in eastern Canada, for example, is reported to
produce around 15 million pounds in weight of shells. This includes around 4 million pounds of lobster shells and 8 million pounds of crab shells. Taken that two-thirds
of the mass would be water and based on the reported composition of chitin in crustacean shells, a quarter of this is estimated to be chitin. About 50% would be mostly
calcium carbonate, while about 25% would be protein. Additionally, a valuable dye
can also be extracted from the shells.
The main sources of chitin are from crabs and shrimp shell. Although research
output has shown availability from other sources, these are presently the sources
being most explored on a commercial scale. For chitin production for biopolymer to
be practical, sustainable and economically viable, there first needs to be a reliable
and sustainable source of the aquatic resources which serve as the source of the
feedstocks. Here, we review the availability of the main sources of chitin.
Shrimps, lobsters, crabs and gastropods are among the high-value captured
seafood species, and the rate of catch has been reported to have shown a record