Short Review of Chitosan and Its Diverse Applications

General Background: Chitin is naturally the second most abundant biological substance found in invertebrates such as fungi, crabs, shrimps, and insects. Specific Background: The rapidly growing shrimp industry generates significant biowaste through the disposal of hard exoskeletons including skins and heads. Knowledge Gap: While chitosan possesses exceptional non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable properties, further studies are needed to fully optimize its versatility as a chemical with diverse industrial uses. Aims: This paper summarizes production methods for obtaining chitosan from chitin and its numerous potential uses. Results: Chitin undergoes chemical or biological deacetylation to produce chitosan, which acts as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent applicable across agriculture, environmental protection, cancer treatment, industrial applications, food technology, regenerative medicine, biotechnology, and bionanotechnology. Novelty: The comprehensive integration of sustainable biological and chemical extraction pathways with broad-spectrum multi-sectoral applications of chitosan. Implications: Chitosan will likely have a major impact across diverse biological and industrial sectors in the near future, paving the way for advanced bio-based solutions. Key Findings Highlights Chitin is extracted from abundant seafood processing biowaste, specifically shrimp exoskeletons, and converted into versatile chitosan via chemical or biological deacetylation. Chitosan exhibits powerful antioxidant properties and antibacterial activity by disrupting microbial cell membranes through its positively charged amino groups. The biopolymer demonstrates wide-ranging applications in drug delivery, agriculture, environmental pollutant removal, regenerative medicine, and food technology. Keywords Chitin, Chitosan, Deacetylation, Nanotechnology, Regeneration technology