Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor
  • 2 Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor
MyJurnal

Abstract

The objective of this study is to characterized chitin from Leucaena leucephala pods at different aging stages with hydrochloric acid HCl by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Leucaena leucephala is chosen to be used in this study because it is abundantly and can be found easily along the road as it is widely spread in Malaysia and available throughout the year. Leucaena leucephala is not fully utilized yet and it could potential for new source for chitin. Results from FTIR shows that Amide I band in Leucaena leucephala before and after extraction range of 1650-1600cm-1 and is not divided into two peaks which make it appear close to a β-chitin. Beside, Amide I band of Leucaena leucephala before and after extraction is appearing wide (U-shaped) rather than sharp therefore the chitin from Leucaena leucephala is determined to be in the form of β- chitin.