PREPERATION AND FOOD APPLICATIONS OF CHITIN AND
CHITOSAN FROM SHELLFISH WASTE
Aygül Küçükgülmez
Cukurova University, Fisheries Faculty, Department of Fisheries and Fish Processing Technology, Adana, Turkey
Huge amounts of shellfish wastes have been discarded as wastes by worldwide seafood factories. These wastes are normally likely to affect human health adversely as it could lead to environmental pollution. Utilization of this source would not only be beneficial to industry, but to community health as well. Therefore, production of value-added products such as chitin, chitosan and their derivatives and application of products in different fields is of utmost interest. It is expected that with the increasing opportunities for the use and production of chitin and chitosan in Turkey, crustacean shells, which account for a significant amount of waste in nature, could be prevented; in addition, biopolymer use in industry could provide products with no side effects on humans.
Chitosan draws attention as a preservative substance due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. These properties increased the importance of chitosan in many different sectors, especially in the food industry. Chitin and chitosan are used as edible film materials, food additive, nutritional quality improver, recovery of solid materials from food processing wastes, purification of water, etc. in food industry. This review summarizes some of the food applications of chitin and chitosan.
