ABSTRACT
Chitin is the second abundant polysaccharide occurring in nature. It is also seen in the cell walls of fungi and insects. Chitin is the most important constituent of the exoskeletal material of the invertebrates, particularly of shrimps, lobster, squilla and crab. Prawn/ shrimp shell is the cheapest and most abundant naturally occurring bio-waste suitable for commercial exploitation for the production of chitin and chitosan. Chitin is deacetylated to get chitosan. Chitin and chitosan find extensive applications in bio-technological and biomedical uses. In human body chitin is not present as such. But its hydrolytic products, N-acetyl glucosamine and N- glucosamine are present. But there are several enzymes, hydrolases, present in human body, that can breakdown chitin. Chitin is a biopolymer having great compatibility with animal tissues. Chitin and chitosan can be used both as a bio-stable or bio-degradable material for medical use. Acid hydrolysis of chitin gives a valuable chemical widely used in pharmaceutical and chemical industries called glucose amine.
