Chitin Powder

Chitin is the second most abundant natural biopolymer in the world, behind only cellulose. It is also the most abundant naturally occurring polysaccharide that contains amino sugars. This abundance, combined with the specific chemistry of chitin and its derivative chitosan, make for the array of potential applications.

Chitin occurs as a component of crustacean shells, insect exoskeletons, fungal cell walls, microtonal, and plankton, it is found in association with proteins and minerals such as calcium carbonate. The different sources of chitin differ somewhat in their structure and percentage of chitin content. Our company provides higher grade chitin powder made up of snow crab shells.

Significance
Both Chitin and Chitosan are traditionally known to be highly insoluble in water. This characteristic has been a challenge for producers as well as end users of these polymers. Everyone would like an easily water-soluble chitin and Chitosan.

We have produced a significantly more water-soluble Chitosan. Our product, even in large flake form, is fully and quickly soluble in a 1% acetic acid solution. The purity of our product means that it is far more reactive than conventional Chitin or Chitosan found in market today.

Applications of Chitin

• Health
• Agriculture
• Cosmetics and Toiletries

HEALTH
Chitin has a wide variety of uses in health care. Most important are wound care, implants, fat and cholesterol-binding drugs, and drug delivery.

Wound Healing Ointment : Because of the wound-healing properties, Chitin is used in ointments for treating wounds.

Wound Dressing : Several research groups and companies, notably in Japan, have devised methods of making wound dressings from Chitin or Chitosan. This type of dressing is used for burns, surface wounds and skin-graft donor sites.

Surgical Sutures : These work by remaining in tissue long enough to permit healing to occur and then slowly dissolving; therefore they need not be removed. Unlike several other suture materials that are absorbed by the body, these do not cause allergic reactions.

Ophthalmology : Chitin can make lenses more permeable to oxygen than other lens materials. This could be particularly useful for injured eyes/ because Chitin also help to heal the wounds. In addition, Chitin does not adhere to eye wounds; that makes removing the lenses from the eyes safer. Hard contact lenses can also be prepared using Chitin n-butyrate.

Dental Care : Since Chitin can regenerate the connective tissue that covers the teeth near the gums, it has possibilities for treating periodontal diseases such as gingivitis and periodontics.

Orthopedics : Chitin has shown strong possibilities in orthopedics as an agent that helps bones to heal. Filaments and rods of Chitin also have the potential to be applied as temporary artificial ligaments for knees and other orthopedic applications that require less rigid fixation.

Glucosamine : Chitin is also used in the manufacture of Glucosamine, which provides the building blocks for the body to make and repair cartilage.

AGRICULTURE
Chitin has three potential uses in agriculture: as a seed treatment, a nematode, and a feed ingredient. Chitinase enzymes have potential as insecticides or insecticide adjuvants. They work by attacking the Chitin that exists in the exoskeletons of insects.

Feed ingredient : Chitin offer three main benefits as components of animal feeds: They permit food processors to recycle protein from food processing waste into animal feed; they have beneficial nutritional properties; and they control the release of feed additives in ruminant animals.

COSMETICS AND TOILETRIES
Chitin is widely used in three areas of cosmetics: hair care, skin care and oral care. Chitin powder is used directly in the used in the production of shampoo, tooth paste and hair sprays.

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