ABSTRACT
Chitin is a sugar molecule, a copolymer of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine linked together by a typical β-1-4 bond. Extracted from by-products in the shell-crustaceous sh industry, it is the most abundant nitrogen-bearing organic component on earth (from 1010 to 1012 tons year), after cellulose (Muzzarelli 1993; Percot et al. 2003). Crustaceans, a class of marine organism, are characterized by the presence of an exoskeleton, necessary to protect them from predators. This multilayered composite tissue consists of a specic material providing mechanical support to the body, and enabling mobility through the formation of joints and attachment sides for muscles.
