ABSTRACT Crustacean waste, consisting of shells and other inedible fractions, represents an underutilized source of chitin. Here, we explore developments in the field of

crustacean-waste-derived chitin and chitosan extraction and utilization, evaluating emerging food systems and biotechnological applications associated with this globally abundant waste

stream. We consider how improving the efficiency and selectivity of chitin separation from wastes, redesigning its chemical structure to improve biotechnology-derived chitosan, converting it

into value-added chemicals, and developing new applications for chitin (such as the fabrication of advanced nanomaterials used in fully biobased electric devices) can contribute towards the

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Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS OYSTER SHELL BASED INDIRECT CARBONATION INTEGRATED WITH PROBIOTIC ENCAPSULATION Article Open access 21 October 2024 SCALABLE

PRODUCTION OF BIO-CALCIUM OXIDE VIA THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF SOLID - HATCHERY WASTE IN A LABORATORY-SCALE ROTARY KILN Article Open access 05 January 2025 NAKED CLAMS TO OPEN A NEW SECTOR IN

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references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, under the Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical

Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP) programme (vot. no. 56052, UMT/CRIM/2-2/5 Jilid 2 (11)). V.K.G. acknowledges the institutional research funding supported by Scotland’s Rural College

(SRUC). M.T. and V.K.G. acknowledge that this work has been done under the umbrella of the MoU between Scotland’s Rural College and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS

AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Hamid Amiri * Environmental Research Institute, University

of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Hamid Amiri * Department of Mechanical Engineering of Agricultural Machinery, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and

Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran Mortaza Aghbashlo * Laboratoire de ‘Chimie Verte et Produits Biobasés’, Haute Ecole Provinciale de Hainaut-Département AgroBioscience et

Chimie, Ath, Belgium Minaxi Sharma * Circular Bioeconomy Research Group, Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre, Munster Technological University, Munster, Ireland James Gaffey * BiOrbic,

Bioeconomy Research Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland James Gaffey * The Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK Louise

Manning * Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Kuwait, Kuwait Seyed Masoud Moosavi Basri * Chembiotech Laboratories Ltd, Tenbury Wells, UK John F. Kennedy * Biorefining and Advanced Materials

Research Center, SRUC, Edinburgh, UK Vijai Kumar Gupta * Center for Safe and Improved Food, SRUC, Edinburgh, UK Vijai Kumar Gupta * Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute

of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Malaysia Meisam Tabatabaei Authors * Hamid Amiri View author publications You can also search

for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Mortaza Aghbashlo View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Minaxi Sharma View author publications You

can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * James Gaffey View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Louise Manning View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Seyed Masoud Moosavi Basri View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar *

John F. Kennedy View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Vijai Kumar Gupta View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed

 Google Scholar * Meisam Tabatabaei View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS H.A. conceptualized the project, analysed the data and

wrote the original draft. M.S., L.M. and J.F.K. analysed the data and reviewed and edited the original draft. J.G. collected and analysed the industrial data. S.M.M.B. studied the

applications of chitosan and developed the illustrations. M.A., V.K.G. and M.T. contributed to this work throughout its conceptualization, including obtaining resources and funding,

supervision, writing and editing. CORRESPONDING AUTHORS Correspondence to Mortaza Aghbashlo, Vijai Kumar Gupta or Meisam Tabatabaei. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors

declare no competing interests. PEER REVIEW PEER REVIEW INFORMATION _Nature Food_ thanks Ning Yan, Nidia Caetano and Michael Martin for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Amiri, H., Aghbashlo, M., Sharma, M. _et al._ Chitin and chitosan derived from crustacean waste valorization streams can support food

systems and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. _Nat Food_ 3, 822–828 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00591-y Download citation * Received: 03 March 2022 * Accepted: 11 August

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