title: Structural alterations, pore generation, and deacetylation of α- and β-chitin submitted to steam explosion.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to use an environmentally friendly steam explosion method to achieve α- and β-chitin structural alterations, pore generation, and deacetylation, enhancing the degree of deacetylation (DD) in chitin and extending its applications. The samples of α- and β-chitin possessing various moisture contents that were exploded at 9 kg/cm(2) exhibited higher DDs, lower densities, lower crystallinity and more porous structures compared to unexploded chitin. After explosion, β-chitin exhibited a larger expansion ratio, lower crystallinity and contained a larger proportion of small-sized particles compared to α-chitin. The highest DD values of exploded α- and β-chitin with 75% moisture content were 42.9% and 43.7%, respectively. The exploded chitin samples with lower moisture content exhibited lower DDs, densities, crystallinity indices, smaller particle sizes, and higher expansion ratios than the chitin samples with higher moisture content. The chitin samples with lower moisture content also contained larger and more numerous pores.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, 2 Pei-Ning Road, Keelung 20224, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Too Shen
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, 2 Pei-Ning Road, Keelung 20224, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Hui Yen
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, 2 Pei-Ning Road, Keelung 20224, Taiwan, R.O.C. Electronic address: tml@mail.ntou.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Min-Lang
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, 84 Gungjuan Rd., Taishan Dist., New Taipei City 24301, Taiwan R.O.C. Electronic address: f2402002@ms16.hinet.net.
authors.forename: Chao-Lin
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry; D005107:Explosions; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010316:Particle Size; D013227:Steam; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D013227:Steam; D014867:Water; D002686:Chitin; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: Chitin; Chitosan; Deacetylation; Pore generation; Steam explosion