Materials
Chitin extraction
1st Procedure
-
Shrimp shells
-
Concentrated sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH)*
-
Scale
-
Glass funnel
-
Citric acid solution (C₆H₈O₇)*
-
Gobelé
-
Stirring plate
-
Squirt bottle with water
-
Round-bottomed flask
-
Gloves
-
Ph indicator paper
-
Aluminum foil
-
spoon
-
Petri dish
-
Greenhouse
-
Condenser
-
Thermometer
-
Drainer
-
Graduated pipette
-
Beaker
-
Distilled water*
-
Whisk
* -> Reagents
Procedure
Chitin extraction
The group carried out the chitin extraction at the Faculty of Sciences of Porto (Fcup), coordinated by Professor Andreia Peixoto and monitored by student Inês. At the end of the process, we obtained two vials of chitin: one containing commercial chitin and the other with the chitin extracted and processed by our group.
The group was guided by the official document:
Denaturation and removal of proteins present in the shrimp exoskeleton:
1. Remove the shrimp shells, taking off the tails and heads, and wash them very well in running water to remove any leftover protein and other impurities;
2. Place in an oven or in the sun to dry;
3. Remove the shells from the oven and/or the sun and grind them into small particles;
4. Weigh out 20g of the particles obtained and add 1 Molar, 100 ml, 6g of NaOH ;
5. Add 200 ml, 2 M citric acid (C₆H₈O₇) to the preparation;
6. Heat the mixture to 50 degrees, stirring constantly, for 72 hours at 800 revolutions per minute (800 rpm);
7. Filter the material and wash with distilled water until the pH is neutral;
