This study examined two gregarious Orthoptera species (Calliptamus barbarus and Oedaleus decorus) as potential sources of chitin. The chitin content of the dry weight of C. barbarus was 20.5 ± 0.7%, and it was 16.5 ± 0.7% for O. decorus. Furthermore, the yield of chitosan (70 75% deacetylation degree) from the grasshopper species was found to be 74 ~ 76%, which is close to the yield of commercial preparations obtained from the unused parts of crabs and shrimp. The chitin and chitosan obtained in this way were analyzed using FTIR, TGA, XRD and SEM techniques, and the antimicrobial properties of chitosans obtained from C. barbarus and O. decorus against pathogenic microorganisms of humans and fish were investigated using the disc diffusion and microdilution broth methods. The antimicrobial screening procedures indicated that the chitosan showed significant antimicrobial activity against all of the tested pathogenic microorganisms. The MBC or MFC values were determined to be 0.16 ~ 2.50 mg/mL. The IC 50 values for the chitins obtained from C. barbarus and O. decorus were 10.68 ± 0.27 and 10.91 ± 0.96 mg/mL, respectively, which were greater than the value for butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT): 0.04 ± 0.01 mg/mL. These results suggest that these two species, which are currently considered to be pests because of over-breeding, are potentially alternative sources of chitin and chitosan, which are used in the food/feed industry for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

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The designs of robust natural polymer based catalysts are important for catalytic systems in the view of industrial purposes and green chemistry. In this study, a new air and moisture stable robust starch‐based Pd(II) catalyst was designed and characterized with different analytical techniques. Catalytic behavior of the prepared robust palladium(II) catalyst was investigated in the Suzuki coupling reactions of aryl iodides, aryl bromides and aryl chlorides with phenyl boronic acid under microwave irradiation using very short reaction time. Sustainability and reusability of the catalyst was also explored under benign conditions. As a result of the catalytic tests, the green catalyst gave excellent biphenyl yields, TONs and TOFs with very low catalyst loading. More importantly, the robust catalyst has showed that it can be reused several times without important loses from its activity in the coupling reactions. The study showed that the robust starch‐based Pd(II) catalyst had more advantages than other catalysts reported in the literature due to its economic, sustainable, thermal durable, environmentally friendly and practice properties.

Fomitopsis pincola, which is used as a medicinal fungus in Asia, is widespread throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The fungus's chitin structure was isolated and characterized in this study. It was found that 30.11 % of the dry weight of the fungus consisted of chitin, a very high portion. The chitosan yield from the chitin was 71.75 %. It was calculated that chitin acetylation was 72.5 % and that deacetylation of chitosan was 73.1 %. The maximum temperature of degradation (DTGmax) recorded for the chitin was 341°C and was 265°C for chitosan. The crystalline index (CrI) value of the chitin was 52 %, while it was 41 % for the chitosan. Examination by SEM revealed that the surface morphologies of the chitin and chitosan were formed of nanofibre structures. The FTIR examination identified it as the α form of chitin. As F. pinicola is widespread, abundant and has a high chitin and chitosan content, it may be used as an alternative chitin and chitosan source.