Chitin Extraction from Lobster Shell Waste using Microbial Culturebased Methods

Background and Objective: Lobster shell waste from seafood processing industry was used as the source of raw material to produce the valuable biopolymer chitin. Chemical and biological treatments of lobster shell waste were performed and compared. Material and Methods: The chemical method required the use of aqueous solutions of HCl and NaOH. Biological treatment included the use of co-cultures with a protease-producing bacterium, either Bacillus megaterium NH21 or Serratia marcescens db11, and an organic acid-producing bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum. The optimal culture conditions, including co-cultivation strategies and glucose concentrations, were identified to improve efficiency of lobster shell deproteinization and demineralization. Results and Conclusion: Overall, the successive treatment with a combination of Serratia marcescens db11 and Lactobacillus plantarum resulted in the best co-removal of CaCO3 and proteins and chitin yield (82.56%) from lobster shell biomass, with total deproteinization of 87.19% and total demineralization of 89.59%. The results from the proof-of-concept study described here suggest that microbial treatment may be an environmentally friendly alternative to the chemical method of chitin extraction.