Characterization of chitin and chitosan derived from Hermetia illucens, a further step in a circular economy process

Abstract

Due to their properties and applications, the growing demand for chitin and chitosan has stimulated the market to find more sustainable alternatives to the current commercial source (crustaceans). Bioconverter insects, such as Hermetia illucens, are the appropriate candidates, as chitin is a side stream of insect farms for feed applications. This is the first report on production and characterization of chitin and chitosan from different biomasses derived from H. illucens, valorizing the overproduced larvae in feed applications, the pupal exuviae and the dead adults. Pupal exuviae are the best biomass, both for chitin and chitosan yields and for their abundance and easy supply from insect farms. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope analysis revealed the similarity of insect-derived polymers to commercial ones in terms of purity and structural morphology, and therefore their suitability for industrial and biomedical applications. Its fibrillary nature makes H. illucens chitin suitable for producing fibrous manufacts after conversion to chitin nanofibrils, particularly adults-derived chitin, because of its high crystallinity. A great versatility emerged from the evaluation of the physicochemical properties of chitosan obtained from H. illucens, which presented a lower viscosity-average molecular weight and a high deacetylation degree, fostering its putative antimicrobial properties.

Effects of chitin and chitosan on root growth, biochemical defense response and exudate proteome ofCannabis sativa

“…The degree of deacetylation determines the number of acetyl groups removed from the chitosan structure. This value along with crystallinity, viscosity and polymer size affect the chemical and physical properties of chitosan (Triunfo et al ., 2022).…”

“…Raw LC-MS/MS data were processed using MaxQuant version 2.0 software (Tyanova et al, 2016a). Protein database was gathered from the NCBI web service, including all C. sativa proteins annotated from C. sativa draft genome sequence (van Bakel et al, 2011).…”

Antimicrobial properties of chitosan from different developmental stages of the bioconverter insect Hermetia illucens

“…Chitin extraction process and deacetylation in chitosan was performed as described by Triunfo et al . 88 . Briefly, insect samples were firstly demineralized using 0.5 M CH 2 O 2 (Sigma-Aldrich St. Louis, Missouri, USA) for 1 h at room temperature, under stirring.…”

Edible insects: non-food and non-feed industrial applications

“…Chitinases are employed in antifungal creams and lotions, while chitin derivatives have a number of applications such as in the making of contact lenses, artificial skin, and surgical stitches (Singh et al, 2022). The black soldier fly's pupal exuviae are used, as they yield most chitin and chitosan and these can easily be supplied by insect farms (Triunfo et al, 2022).…”