Department of Mycology & Plant Pathology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras, Hindu University (BHU) , Varanasi , India .
Crit Rev Biotechnol. 2015 Mar;35(1):44-61. doi: 10.3109/07388551.2013.798256. Epub 2013 Oct 1.
The natural biopolymer chitin and its deacetylated product chitosan are widely used in innumerable applications ranging from biomedicine, pharmaceuticals, food, agriculture and personal care products to environmental sector. The abundant and renewable marine processing wastes are commercially exploited for the extraction of chitin. However, the traditional chitin extraction processes employ harsh chemicals at elevated temperatures for a prolonged time which can harm its physico-chemical properties and are also held responsible for the deterioration of environmental health. In view of this, green extraction methods are increasingly gaining popularity due to their environmentally friendly nature. The bioextraction of chitin from crustacean shell wastes has been increasingly researched at the laboratory scale. However, the bioextraction of chitin is not currently exploited to its maximum potential on the commercial level. Bioextraction of chitin is emerging as a green, cleaner, eco-friendly and economical process. Specifically in the chitin extraction, microorganisms-mediated fermentation processes are highly desirable due to easy handling, simplicity, rapidity, controllability through optimization of process parameters, ambient temperature and negligible solvent consumption, thus reducing environmental impact and costs. Although, chitin production from crustacean shell waste through biological means is still at its early stage of development, it is undergoing rapid progress in recent years and showing a promising prospect. Driven by reduced energy, wastewater or solvent, advances in biological extraction of chitin along with valuable by-products will have high economic and environmental impact.
天然生物聚合物甲壳素及其去乙酰化产物壳聚糖广泛应用于生物医学、制药、食品、农业和个人护理产品以及环境领域等无数领域。丰富且可再生的海洋加工废物被商业开发用于提取甲壳素。然而，传统的甲壳素提取工艺在高温下长时间使用苛刻的化学物质，这可能会损害其物理化学性质，并对环境健康造成恶化。鉴于此，由于其环保性质，绿色提取方法越来越受到欢迎。从甲壳类动物废物中生物提取甲壳素已在实验室规模上进行了越来越多的研究。然而，甲壳素的生物提取目前在商业层面上尚未充分发挥其潜力。甲壳素的生物提取是一种绿色、清洁、环保和经济的工艺。特别是在甲壳素提取中，由于易于处理、简单、快速、通过优化工艺参数进行控制、环境温度和溶剂消耗可忽略不计，因此微生物介导的发酵过程非常理想，从而减少了对环境的影响和成本。虽然通过生物手段从甲壳类动物废物中生产甲壳素仍处于早期发展阶段，但近年来发展迅速，前景广阔。由于减少了能源、废水或溶剂的消耗，生物提取甲壳素以及有价值的副产品的进展将具有很高的经济和环境影响。
