Chitin squid-derived

Chitin films can be manufactured from DMAc solutions or by other approaches, for example, blend films of beta-chitin (derived from squid pens) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were prepared by a solution casting technique from corresponding solutions of beta-chitin and PVA in concentrated formic acid. Upon evaporation of the solvent, the film having 50/50 composition was found to be cloudy [224]. 

The most common biopolymers derived from animals are chitin and chito-san. Chitin is a macromolecule found in the shells of crabs, lobsters, shrimps, and insects. The primary unit in the chitin polymer is 2-deoxy-2-(acetylamino) glucose. Chitin can be degraded by chitinase. Chitosan is a modified natural carbohydrate polymer derived from deactylation of chitin, which occurs principally in animals of the phylum Arthropoda. Chitosan is also prepared from squid pens. Chitin is insoluble in its native form but chitosan, the partly deacetylated form, is water soluble. The materials are biocompatible and have antimicrobial activities as well as the ability to absorb heavy metal ions [16]. 

Keeping in mind the importance of chitosan, as well as its economic value as an industrial product, we must pay attention to its key physical parameter, i.e., turbidity. Depending on source, a marked difference is observed in aqueous solutions of chitosan and its derivatives in terms of their turbidity [33]. Turbid aqueous solutions of chitosan and chitosan-derived products greatly lose their commercial value. Such chitosan cannot be used as a commercial product and in some cases may have to be discarded. Therefore, the selection of source plays a pivotal role in the production of chitin and chitosan. Shepherd et al. [20] reported the production of chitosan from New Zealand Arrow squid Notodarus sloani) pens as well as the evaluation of the functional properties of this squid chitosan compared with chitosan extracted from crustacean sources. Squid pen chitin and chitosan were visibly cleaner than chitin and chitosan obtained from crab and crayfish. In addition, due to the lower mineral content of squid pen as compared to cmstacean shells, the demineralization process can be skipped to extract chitin, which also makes the production cheaper. As shown in Table 4, the squid pen chitosan is similar in... 

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