Sustainable extraction of chitin from the larva of the black
soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) and its chemical and functional properties
Hermetia illucens, chitin, demineralization, enzymatic deproteinization.
Faced with the current scenario of food insecurity, Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera:
Stratiomyidae), known as Black Soldier Fly (MSN), gains global attention as an emerging
and sustainable source for human and animal food. MSN efficiently converts various
organic biomass and transforms it into a biomass with proteins, fats, chitin and minerals.
Currently, the greatest interest of Hermetia illucens larvae is the protein fraction of the
larval phase, but this species has in its exoskeleton the polysaccharide chitin, which has
functional properties, biodegradability, biocompatibility and non-toxicity. For the
extraction of chitin, it is necessary to carry out demineralization and deproteinization
steps, traditionally carried out with environmentally unsustainable solvents (HCl and
NaOH). Aiming at the use and enhancement of the MSN exoskeleton, this work aims to
carry out the sustainable extraction of chitin from Hermetia illucens, through
demineralization with lactic acid and optimized deproteinization with the enzyme
alcalase. For this, parameters of the enzymatic deproteinization step will be optimized
using the Central composite rotatable design (CCRD 23
). Under the optimized conditions
of the model, the obtained chitin will be evaluated in relation to its composition, structural
characteristics and functional properties.