title: The first report of the physicochemical structure of chitin isolated from Hermetia illucens.
abstract: This is the first report on the physicochemical properties of chitin obtained from larvae and imagoes of black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens). Scanning electron microscopy revealed differences in surface morphologies of the two types of chitin. The crystalline index values of chitins from adult flies and larvae were 24.9% and 35%, respectively. This is a trait that differentiates these biopolymers from chitins extracted from other sources described so far. X-ray diffraction patterns and IR spectroscopy revealed that both types of samples of chitin were in an α crystalline form. Also, the results of elemental analysis, thermal stabilities and FTIR spectroscopy of the chitins from larvae and adults of H. illucens were similar, which points to a general similarity in their physicochemical structure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Human Nutrition and Science of Food Commodities, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland. Electronic address: awasko1@tlen.pl.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Waśko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Natural Environment Biogeochemistry, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290 Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bulak
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Human Nutrition and Science of Food Commodities, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polak-Berecka
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Natural Environment Biogeochemistry, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290 Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Natural Environment Biogeochemistry, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290 Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Cezary
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Polakowski
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Natural Environment Biogeochemistry, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290 Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bieganowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004055:Differential Thermal Analysis; D004175:Diptera / Q000737:chemistry*; D004602:Elements; D007814:Larva / Q000378:metabolism; D011679:Pupa / Q000378:metabolism; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013818:Thermogravimetry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D004602:Elements; D002686:Chitin
keywords: Chitin; Hermetia illucens; Physicochemical properties