chitin High quality chitin

Chitin is a natural biopolymer widely found in fungi, arthropods, mollusks and other organisms. It is composed of N-acetylglucosamine and has important biological functions and application values. The production process of chitin includes two main links: biosynthesis and extraction. The biosynthesis process is the process of chitin naturally forming in the body, while the extraction process is to separate it from the organism containing chitin.

Chinese scientists recently published their research results in the journal Nature, revealing the complete process of chitin biosynthesis. The study found that chitin synthase transfers the sugar group on the donor substrate to the acceptor chitin sugar chain, and the newly generated chitin sugar chain is released to the outside of the cell through the transmembrane transport channel on the cell membrane. Finally, the released chitin chain spontaneously assembles into chitin nanofibers.

The product characteristics of chitin include its physicochemical properties and biological activity. Chitin is usually expressed in terms of its N-amino acetylation degree (DA) and the degree of polymerization (DP) of the sugar unit structure to express its chemical or physical characteristics.  The larger the DA value, the greater the percentage of acetylation of free amino groups on the chitin skeleton; the larger the DP value, the greater the chitin molecule is composed of more monosaccharide molecules and the larger the molecular weight. Chitin is a white amorphous substance, odorless and tasteless, soluble in dimethylacetamide or concentrated hydrochloric acid containing 8% lithium chloride, but insoluble in water, dilute acid, alkali, ethanol or other organic solvents. Chitin and its derivatives have a wide range of applications in medicine, chemical industry, health food and other fields, such as additives for cosmetics and functional foods, preparation of photographic emulsions, etc. In addition, chitin synthase, as a molecular target for pesticides, helps to create efficient, safe and eco-friendly pesticides, which is of great significance to agricultural production.