Influence of Deacetylation Process in Chitosan Extract from Shrimp Shell Waste

Abstract

The increasing production of shrimp commodities in Bangka Belitung Island can cause shrimp shell waste and polluting the environment. Shrimp shell waste can further proceed into chitosan which has a wide range of functions in various fields. This current study aims to find out the influence of the deacetylation process in chitosan extracts from shrimp shell waste. The method of chitosan extraction by varying repetition of deacetylation process. The characterization of chitosan extracts by FTIR analysis to determine functional group and degree of deacetylation (DD). Based on FTIR spectra, repetition in the deacetylation process in chitosan extraction still produces chitosan extracts that do not fully transform into chitosan. However, it able to increase DD with the highest DD of chitosan extract constitutes 86,78% and can be used in the further application.