Biotechnological approach to produce chitin and chitosan from the shells of Artemia urmiana günther, 1899 (Branchiopoda, Anostraca) cysts from Urmia Lake, Iran

Chitin and chitosan are both natural biopolymers that can be extracted from the shells (exoskeletons) of a variety of crustaceans. The objective of the present study was to characterize the chitin and chitosan obtained from the shells of Artemia urmiana cysts and to compare these to two commercially available products purified by chemical and biological methods. The shells of Artemia cysts were obtained from Urmia Lake, Iran. We found a high yield of chitin in comparison to other sources, with a lower percentage of residual materials. We also found the efficiency of conversion of chitin to chitosan to be 20 ± 10% using the biological method described herein. The high molecular weight, crystalinity, and lower degree of deacetylation (D.D.A.) of these biopolymers obtained by the biological method were other characteristics associated with the use of Artemia urmiana cyst shells as the source. The results of analytical methods indicate that both chitin and chitosan from empty Artemia cysts compared favourably with two commercially available products. In conclusion, we suggest that one should consider using the biotechnological approach taken here, instead of resorting to commonly used chemical methods, in order to reduce environmental pollution but still obtain high quality products. Chitine et chitosan sont deux biopolymeres naturels qui peuvent etre extraits a partir de l'exosquelette des crustaces. L'objectif de ce travail a ete de caracteriser la chitine et le chitosan obtenu a partir d'enveloppes de cystes d'Artemia urmiana et de les comparer a deux produits commerciaux purifies par des methodes chimiques et biologiques. Les enveloppes des cystes d'Artemia proviennent du lac Urmia, Iran. Par comparaison avec les autres sources, un contenu eleve en chitine avec un plus faible pourcentage de materiaux residuels a ete trouve. L'efficacite de conversion de la chitine en chitosan a ete de 20 ± 10% en utilisant la methode biologique decrite ici. Un poids moleculaire eleve, un degre de cristallisation eleve et un faible degre d'acetylation (D.D.A.) sont les autres caracteristiques des polymeres obtenus par la methode biologique a partir des cystes vides d' d'Artemia urmania. Les resultats des methodes analytiques indiquent que la chitine et le chitosan des parois des cystes d'Artemia peuvent etre favorablement compares aux deux produits commercialises. En conclusions nous suggerons qu'afin de reduire la pollution environnementale tout en obtenant des produits de qualite, l'approche biotechnologique utilisee dans cette etude devrait etre preferee aux methodes chimiques habituellement utilisees.