Production of β-Chitin Nanofibers from Squid Pen Using a Water Jet Machine

Squid is a popular sea food in many parts of the world. However, squid pen is disposed as waste from processed marine products factories. Squid pen contains beta-chitin. Chitin is structural polysaccharides consisting of... [ view full abstract ]

Squid is a popular sea food in many parts of the world. However, squid pen is disposed as waste from processed marine products factories. Squid pen contains beta-chitin. Chitin is structural polysaccharides consisting of beta-(1,4)-linked N-acetyl anhydroglucosamine units. At least two types of chitin crystal are known, alpha- and beta-chitins. Most natural chitins have the alpha-type crystal structure, while the beta-type chitin is present in squid pen. The beta-chitin has parallel molecular chains without significant hydrogen bonds between intermolecular sheets.
Chitin nanofiber has attracted research interest in the field of materials chemistry. When chitin is disintegrated into nanofiber, the hydrophilic surface area increases, enhancing the biochemical significance of the material.
In this work, we converted beta-chitin to nanofiber by wet pulverize treatment with a water jet machine just using water. Beta-Chitin nanofiber is expected as functional materials. We obtained the individualized beta-chitin nanofibers 5-10 nm in cross-sectional width and at least a few microns in length, which was confirmed by TEM micrograph. This study showed that a wet pulverize treatment with a water jet machine is a promising method for producing beta-chitin nanofiber.