The Aquaculture Waste Generation Chain and Its Utilization as a Source of Chitosan for Fruit Coatings

• Grant number: 24/14794-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Moisés Teles dos Santos
• Grantee: Vitor da Silva Costa
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/02809-0 - Waste valorization and technological innovation in the agro-industrial and chitin supply chains by computational models, AP.PNGP.PI

Abstract

Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer in nature, after cellulose, with which it shares significant chemical structural similarities. Among the sources of chitin, the exoskeleton of arthropods, particularly crustaceans such as shrimp, stands out. Brazil is one of the world's largest shrimp producers, with its aquaculture distributed geographically across the South, North, and Northeast regions of Brazil, producing 90 thousand tons in 2019 (Rocha, 2020). This high production results in large quantities of solid waste, as the head and shell of the animal constitute approximately 40% of its total weight. Improper disposal of these waste products leads to environmental pollution. Given the similarities between chitin and cellulose, and the fact that the fishing industry generates substantial amounts of crustacean shell waste, the concept of a chitin biorefinery has been discussed (Hulsey, 2018). This refers to facilities where crustacean shells are separated into different fractions and transformed into products. Most seafood waste is either discarded in landfills or returned to the ocean, where decomposition products can pose significant environmental and sanitary problems, especially in coastal regions. Converting chitin into valuable chemical products represents an alternative way to utilize such materials. Among the products that can be obtained is chitosan. Due to its non-toxic characteristics, easy gel formation, and biological properties, chitosan is considered an industrial and pharmaceutical compound of interest. Its film-forming and biocompatibility properties make it suitable as a coating material, such as edible films or packaging materials for the storage of fruits and vegetables. This application helps reduce moisture and aroma loss, inhibit oxygen penetration, and prevent microbial growth, while being safe for use with food (Duan et al., 2019). Based on these potentials of shrimp shells, this scientific initiation project has two main objectives: (i) Reviewing, selecting, collecting data, and creating a computational database on marine shrimp production in captivity (aquaculture) in Brazil, and (ii) Supporting the PhD student with experimental activities related to the synthesis and characterization of chitosan and its application in fruit protection coatings.