Antarctic krill is a nutrient-rich crustacean that is one of the main species in the Antarctic ecosystem. Antarctic krill shell (AKS) can be used as raw materials to prepare chitin. In this study, lactic acid and dispase were used to prepare Antarctic krill chitin (AKC-1). Amino-monosaccharide contents of chitin samples were detected by pre-column PMP-HPLC method. Analytical instruments were conducted to determine characteristics of chitin samples. Results showed that the amino-monosaccharide content of AKS was 4.62 g/100 g (measured in D-glucosamine). The yield of AKC-1 was 5.49 g/100 g, and the amino-monosaccharide content was 80.90 g/100 g. AKC-1 showed smooth flakes, a porous surface, and α-chitin structural characteristics. The maximum degradation temperature (DTGmax) was 318.3 °C. The yield of deacetylated chitin (AKC-2) was 4.74 g/100 g, with deacetylation degree of 80.8%, viscosity average molecular weight of approximately 145.7 kDa, and amino-monosaccharide content of 97.06 g/100 g. The surface morphology of AKC-2 was similar to that of AKC-1, and the DTGmax was 311.5 °C. A mild, eco-friendly chitin preparation method and an amino-monosaccharide content detection method of raw material before chitin preparation are described in this study, which can provide technical support for comprehensive utilization of Antarctic krill resources.
Keywords: Amino-monosaccharide; Antarctic krill shell; Chitin.
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