3.7 Applications
51
Chitin is mainly useful for conversion into other products, namely chitosan, glucosamine and oligosaccharides. Some research studies have been reported in its use
as nanofillers; however, its application is largely based on the deacetylated and/or
depolymerized forms. Figure 3.3 summarizes the process from chitin to its different
derivatives.
With a world population projection of 9.7 billion by the year 2050 and presently
over 7 billion (FAO 2016) and rising, every one of these billions of people demanding
clean water, processed foods, pharmaceutical products and other daily requirement
of modern-day living standards, there is a huge demand waiting for the chitin industry
to meet as an alternative to the non-biodegradable, fossil fuel-based polymers which
are presently being employed to meet such demands. This is in line with the present
challenges of rising cost of fossil fuels from which these plastics are based, the
issue of pollution disaster as a result of dumping of plastics in aquatic and terrestrial
habitats and the financial distress being experienced globally. There is an urgent need
for an alternative versatile polymer which would replace the present ones.
In the present state of technology, the chitin-based products of, for example, food
packaging do not meet the same requirements in terms of applicability compared
to the conventional counterparts. This has limited the growth of such products. It
is therefore important to educate the consumers on the true value in biodegradable
products compared to the non-biodegradable and fossil-based options.
Presently, the highest demand for chitin lies in the wastewater treatment. Generally
due to the batch-to-batch variation in the quality and properties of chitin, large-scale
production is more suitable to low-end applications such as wastewater treatment.
For higher-end applications such as pharmaceutical or biomedical applications, each
batch needs to be tested; therefore, these are more difficult to scale up.
Chitin is the leading material toward a sustainable industrialized world. As the
world’s attention is drawn to the environmental concerns raised by petroleum-derived
polymers, there is rising demand for non-toxic, biodegradable, biocompatible, affordable, accessible and multifunctional alternatives. Chitin is the first polymer of choice
with potential to meet that demand. Figure 3.4 summarizes the value chain of chitin
from the raw materials to the final product.
3.7.1 Packaging Films
So far, chitosan has proven to be the natural biopolymer with the best film-forming
property. On its own, chitosan forms a uniform film when cast. The figure below
shows a film of chitosan. The chitosan used here is chitosan derived from chitin
extracted from crab shells and dissolved in 1% acetic acid solution. Pure chitosan
dissolved in acetic acid or hydrochloric acid can be formed into films for applications
such as edible food packaging. Aside from forming a barrier layer, it serves as an
antimicrobial and antioxidant and helps preserve the quality of the food product.
Chitosan is applied in the packaging of meat, fish, vegetables and fish and has been
shown to preserve the quality of these foods (Kanatt et al. 2013).
51
Chitin is mainly useful for conversion into other products, namely chitosan, glucosamine and oligosaccharides. Some research studies have been reported in its use
as nanofillers; however, its application is largely based on the deacetylated and/or
depolymerized forms. Figure 3.3 summarizes the process from chitin to its different
derivatives.
With a world population projection of 9.7 billion by the year 2050 and presently
over 7 billion (FAO 2016) and rising, every one of these billions of people demanding
clean water, processed foods, pharmaceutical products and other daily requirement
of modern-day living standards, there is a huge demand waiting for the chitin industry
to meet as an alternative to the non-biodegradable, fossil fuel-based polymers which
are presently being employed to meet such demands. This is in line with the present
challenges of rising cost of fossil fuels from which these plastics are based, the
issue of pollution disaster as a result of dumping of plastics in aquatic and terrestrial
habitats and the financial distress being experienced globally. There is an urgent need
for an alternative versatile polymer which would replace the present ones.
In the present state of technology, the chitin-based products of, for example, food
packaging do not meet the same requirements in terms of applicability compared
to the conventional counterparts. This has limited the growth of such products. It
is therefore important to educate the consumers on the true value in biodegradable
products compared to the non-biodegradable and fossil-based options.
Presently, the highest demand for chitin lies in the wastewater treatment. Generally
due to the batch-to-batch variation in the quality and properties of chitin, large-scale
production is more suitable to low-end applications such as wastewater treatment.
For higher-end applications such as pharmaceutical or biomedical applications, each
batch needs to be tested; therefore, these are more difficult to scale up.
Chitin is the leading material toward a sustainable industrialized world. As the
world’s attention is drawn to the environmental concerns raised by petroleum-derived
polymers, there is rising demand for non-toxic, biodegradable, biocompatible, affordable, accessible and multifunctional alternatives. Chitin is the first polymer of choice
with potential to meet that demand. Figure 3.4 summarizes the value chain of chitin
from the raw materials to the final product.
3.7.1 Packaging Films
So far, chitosan has proven to be the natural biopolymer with the best film-forming
property. On its own, chitosan forms a uniform film when cast. The figure below
shows a film of chitosan. The chitosan used here is chitosan derived from chitin
extracted from crab shells and dissolved in 1% acetic acid solution. Pure chitosan
dissolved in acetic acid or hydrochloric acid can be formed into films for applications
such as edible food packaging. Aside from forming a barrier layer, it serves as an
antimicrobial and antioxidant and helps preserve the quality of the food product.
Chitosan is applied in the packaging of meat, fish, vegetables and fish and has been
shown to preserve the quality of these foods (Kanatt et al. 2013).