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Chitosan Production Process

Chitin is extracted from crustacean shells from various sources and rinsed in an alkaline solution. The shells are then exposed to an acidic solution. At this point the shells are considered chitin. Chitin is rinsed in a heated alkaline environment; the resulting chemical reaction produces chitosan.




Background

Chitin is a polysaccharide found in abundance in nature. It is the principal component of the exoskeletons of shrimp. Chitosan is synthesized by chemically processing chitin (see above). The chitosan molecule has a primary amine that is very reactive and can undergo various chemical reactions, which allows for chemical modification of the molecule.

Chitosan exhibits a variety of physicochemical and biological properties resulting in numerous applications. For example, the positive charge of the chitosan molecules attract negatively charged red blood cells, making it an efficient hemostatic agent. Chitosan's polycationic property is directly proportional to the degree of deacetylation and molecular weight. This is controlled in the chemical synthesis of the molecule.





Figure 1: Chemical Structure of Chitin (left) and Chitosan (right).

Chitosan and Modified Chitosan Applications In addition to developing standardized procedures for optimal, consistent, large-scale chitosan manufacturing to produce medical grade chitosan, Hawaii Chitopure is investigating additional chemical modifications methods for anti-bacterial and anti-viral pharmaceutical applications.

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