PRODUCTION OF CHITIN FROM SHRIMP SHELLS (Penaeus monodon) USING Bacillus sp. TV11 AND Lactobacillus sp. T342

Abstract

Chitin is one of abundant polysaccharides in nature and polularly applied in many fields, especially in food preservation and medicine. The study aimed to produce high quality chitin by biological method from shrimp shells (tiger prawn, Penaeus monodon) which are the plentiful source of raw materials in Mekong Delta. This study used two strains of Bacillus sp. TV11 and Lactobacillus sp. T432 to investigate the effects of initial inoculum concentrations of Bacillus sp. TV11 and Lactobacillus sp. T432 and their ratios to the fermentation processes; to study the the effect of molasses and salt concentrations supplemented into the fermentation process. The results show that 20% (v/w) of bacteria concentrations, ratio 1:1 of Bacillus sp. TV11 and Lactobacillus sp. T432 (fermented with Bacillus sp. TV11 in three days then inoculated Lactobacillus sp. T432) for the best result to chitin production. Concentrations of molasses at 15% (w/w) and 3% (w/w) of NaCl were suitable for the production of chitin. The crude product of chitin was obtained with protein and ash remaining only 8.00% and 3.51%, respectively (79.64% protein and 83.02% ash were removed) after 9 days of fermentation.