Chitin isolation from crustaceans and mushrooms: The need for quantitative assessment

Abstract

This review examines key journal articles on the isolation of chitin from mushroom biomass comparing these findings to those related to crustacean chitin. It highlights the need for standardizing chitin characterization, emphasizing that chitin comprises a family of polymers with variations in molecular weight (Mw), degree of acetylation (%DA), and acetylation patterns (P_A), leading to diverse physicochemical properties and biological activities. The review positions fungi and mushrooms as emerging sources of ‘vegan’ chitin, being non-animal and free from allergenic proteins. Their ability to be cultivated year-round, along with rapid growth and low-cost biowaste substrates, makes them attractive alternatives to crustacean chitin. Market adoption of mushroom chitin will depend on its potential applications in high-value products. Traditionally, chitin characterization has been semi-qualitative, but there is now a growing recognition of how sample inconsistencies impact research quality. This review underscores the importance of quantitative analysis for achieving practical, repeatable, and reproducible results while addressing the challenges in characterizing fungal chitin. We argue that accurately determining the properties of fungal chitin is essential and should be a fundamental aspect of every study, as these properties significantly influence the polymer's characteristics and biological activity.