Physicochemical Properties of Chitosan from Green Mussel Shells (<i>Perna viridis</i>): A Comparative Study

Abstract

Green mussel shells (Perna viridis) are generated in huge amounts and discarded as waste materials. Such waste may be used to produce biopolymer materials such as chitosan. The physicochemical properties of chitosan prepared from different sizes of green mussel shells (small size (CHS): ≤5.00 cm in length and big size (CHB): >5.01 cm in length) were characterized and compared with commercial chitosan (CH). Furthermore, the mechanical and physicochemical properties of the blended films were also investigated. The results of the physicochemical properties showed that CHS and CHB were quite different from CH. The degree of deacetylation of CHS, CHB, and CH was found to be 32.71%, 52.56%, and 70.42%, respectively (p p < 0.05). However, further study is needed to improve the chitosan extraction process, which can enhance the physicochemical properties of the obtained chitosan and be widely used in many industries.

Keywords

• chitosan
• biopolymer films
• by-product
• green mussel shells
• physicochemical properties