Team:ITESM-Guadalajara

Chitosan is a polysaccharide found in abundance in shrimp shell. The current extraction methods involve the use of strong acids and alkalis, these substances are dangerous wastes that can compromise the integrity of soil and water where they are disposed.

Due to its stability and biocompatibility, chitosan has been widely used in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries, among many others. The Chitosan global market has an estimated value of $20 billion USD. Particularly, the pharmaceutical industry represents on average 1.2% of total GDP in Mexico and has grown at a 10% rate since 2008.

Therefore, it is imperative to develop a new and efficient extraction process, that is also eco-friendly. We’ve developed a new process that consists in the pretreatment of shrimp shells, followed by a fermentation in which it is demineralized and deproteinized by B. subtilis. Finally, it goes through a deacetylation process in a fermentation performed by our genetically modified E. coli strain. This modified bacterium contains 6 different enzymes that are found naturally in microorganisms that are capable of cutting and deacetylating chitin for the generation of chitosan. The action of these enzymes and a careful temperature treatment will allow us to generate chitosan with a 90% deacetylation degree. This deacetylation degree is the required one by the pharmaceutical industry, our target market.

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