Chitin and method for chemically obtaining chitin and/or chitosan
AssigneeYnsect
InventorsCecilia Socolsky, Sophie Laurent, Bénédicte Lorette, Valérie Alezra, Corentin Le Berre, Nathalie Berezina
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a chitin having a molecular mass of more than 855 kg·mol-1 and to a process for obtaining chitin and/or chitosan by separating cuticles from the soft part of the insect and by a basic treatment of the cuticles.
Claims13
Chitin isolated or extracted from insects, having
- (a) a molecular mass greater than or equal to 855 kg.mol−1 and containing less than 1.5% by weight amino acids relative to the total dry weight of chitin, wherein the molecular mass is determined using the falling ball viscosity measurement;
- and
- (b) purity by difference greater than or equal to 95%, wherein the purity by difference is obtained by subtracting the amino acid, lipid and ash impurity contents from the absolute purity value, said absolute purity value being equal to 100%.
Chitosan obtained from chitin isolated or extracted from insects, having a molecular mass greater than or equal to 250 kg.mol−1 and a purity by difference greater than or equal to 95%, wherein the molecular mass is determined using the falling ball viscosity measurement and wherein the purity by difference is obtained by subtraction of the amino acid, lipid, and ash impurity contents from the absolute purity value, said absolute purity value being equal to 100%.
Method for obtaining chitin and/or chitosan, from insects, comprising the following steps:
- (i.) separation of the cuticles from the soft part of the insects, then
- (ii.) basic treatment of the cuticles obtained at step (i) for a duration comprised between 5 and 60 hours with an aqueous basic solution, wherein the molar concentration of the base in aqueous solution is comprised between 0.1 and 5 mol.L−1,
- (iii.) recovery of the chitin from step (ii),
- (iv.) optionally, deacetylation of the chitin to produce chitosan,
- wherein no step of grinding the insects is performed prior to the step of separating the cuticles from the soft part and wherein no step of said method is carried out at a pH lower than 6.
Method for obtaining chitin, from insects, comprising the following steps:
- (i.) killing of the insects,
- (ii.) separation of the cuticles from the soft part of the insects,
- (iii.) basic treatment of the cuticles obtained at step (ii) for a duration comprised between 5 and 60 hours with an aqueous basic solution, wherein the molar concentration of the base in aqueous solution is comprised between 0.1 and 5 mol.L−1,
- (iv.) recovery of the chitin from step (iii),
- wherein no step of grinding the insects is performed prior to the step of separating the cuticles from the soft part and wherein no step of said method is carried out at a pH lower than 6.
Method for obtaining chitosan, from insects, comprising the following steps:
- (i.) killing of the insects,
- (ii.) separation of the cuticles from the soft part of the insects,
- (iii.) basic treatment of the cuticles obtained at step (ii) for a duration comprised between 5 and 60 hours with an aqueous basic solution, wherein the molar concentration of the base in aqueous solution is comprised between 0.1 and 5 mol.L−1,
- (iv.) recovery of the chitin from step (iii),
- (v.) deacetylation of the chitin, and
- (vi.) recovery of the chitosan,
- wherein no step of grinding the insects is performed prior to the step of separating the cuticles from the soft part and wherein no step of said method is carried out at a pH lower than 6.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.