An improved extraction and purification method for obtaining high-quality chitin and chitosan from blue swimmer (Portunus pelagicus) crab shell waste

Portunus pelagicus shell waste is highly accumulated in seafood processing factories and has low commercial applications. The objective of this study was to modify and develop a scale-up, simple, and high-yielding chemical method for extraction and purification of chitin and chitosan from P. pelagicus shell waste. The developed method included a new “pretreatment” process using acetic acid followed by chemical treatments at each purification step. The final product was characterized by XRD and FTIR spectroscopy. Control chitin and chitosan were produced using a pre-described method for comparison. Yields of crude chitin, chitosan, and purified chitosan were 32.52 ± 0.68%, 26.28 ± 0.47%, and 21.78 ± 0.34% respectively whereas in the control chitin and chitosan the yields were 20.34 ± 0.72% and 13.79 ± 0.93% respectively (p < 0.05). Better physicochemical and functional properties were recorded in the developed method (p < 0.05). Hence the developed methodology can be scaled up and used in industrial applications.