Chitin and chitosan derived from crustacean waste valorization streams can support food systems and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Amiri H 1 , Aghbashlo M 2 , Sharma M 3 , Gaffey J 4 , Manning L 5 , Moosavi Basri SM 6 Show all authors , Kennedy JF 7 , Gupta VK 8 , Tabatabaei M 9

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
  • 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering of Agricultural Machinery, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. maghbashlo@ut.ac.ir
  • 3 Laboratoire de 'Chimie Verte et Produits Biobasés', Haute Ecole Provinciale de Hainaut-Département AgroBioscience et Chimie, Ath, Belgium
  • 4 Circular Bioeconomy Research Group, Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre, Munster Technological University, Munster, Ireland
  • 5 The Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
  • 6 Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Kuwait, Kuwait
  • 7 Chembiotech Laboratories Ltd, Tenbury Wells, UK
  • 8 Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Center, SRUC, Edinburgh, UK. vijai.gupta@sruc.ac.uk
  • 9 Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Malaysia. meisam.tabatabaei@umt.edu.my
Nat Food, 2022 Oct;3(10):822-828.
PMID: 37117878 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-022-00591-y

Abstract

Crustacean waste, consisting of shells and other inedible fractions, represents an underutilized source of chitin. Here, we explore developments in the field of crustacean-waste-derived chitin and chitosan extraction and utilization, evaluating emerging food systems and biotechnological applications associated with this globally abundant waste stream. We consider how improving the efficiency and selectivity of chitin separation from wastes, redesigning its chemical structure to improve biotechnology-derived chitosan, converting it into value-added chemicals, and developing new applications for chitin (such as the fabrication of advanced nanomaterials used in fully biobased electric devices) can contribute towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Finally, we consider how gaps in the research could be filled and future opportunities could be developed to make optimal use of this important waste stream for food systems and beyond.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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