10/06/12

Chitin in tilapia

Q :
 Anyone that can help with information about the chitin content of tilapia scales - if any?

A :
I believe there is some chitin in tilapia scales but the quantities may not be worth the effort to extract. A better source is shrimp heads from farmed and wild sources. The recovery of chitin and chitosan from farmed shrimp heads are around 17 and 25g per kg respectively from wet processing waste. There is a good and growing market for chitin with glucosamine production dominating.

Best regards,

Tom Frese
President
AquaSol, Inc.
Miami, Florida (USA)


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