Crustacean waste-based products to support future food production systems

Crustacean waste, consisting of shells and other inedible fractions, represents an underutilized source of chitin. Together with International Colleagues, Dr Vijai Kumar Gupta from SRUC, UK has recently published a paper in Nature Food (https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00591-y) exploring the developments in the crustacean waste chitin and chitosan extraction and utilization field, evaluating emerging food system and biotechnological applications associated with this globally abundant waste stream. Authors of the article has considered how improving the efficiency and selectivity of chitin separation from wastes, re-designing its chemical structure to improve biotechnology-derived chitosan, its conversion into value-added chemicals, and new applications for chitin, such as the fabrication of advanced nanomaterials used in fully biobased electric devices can contribute towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

If industry and public awareness were increased, the demand for chitin-derived products such as smart food packaging materials would expand, acting as a driver for technological developments in crustacean waste valorization. However, life sciences researchers need to explore mitigation options for products of animal origin and address challenges such as allergenic or viral contaminations of waste-derived chitosan. Without these advances, the ability to fabricate highly sophisticated biomaterials for special applications in the pharmaceutical and medical industries will be limited. The biological properties of extracted chitin and its derivatives already form important components of advanced biomaterials. This area merits further investments in developing technologies based on protein engineering and cell factories to harness the full potential of this waste stream.

Inedible crustacean waste can be utlised for chitin and chitosan extraction. The production of third-generation chitin or chitosan polymers may address these challenges in the future. The ambition of producing a homogeneous and application-specific chitosan structure with a predetermined acetylation pattern could pave the way for the highly sophisticated use of chitosan, particularly as a biodegradable cationic polyelectrolyte in advanced biomaterials. It is time to reimagine the value of crustacean-waste-based products to support future food systems through shell biorefineries, not only from an economic resilience perspective but also to mitigate sustainability and human health concerns. Such attention will ensure that this important food system waste product can become a resource that is utilized in line with the ambitions of the United Nations SDGs. This Nature Food article reflects on recent developments in chitin extraction and explores future chitin and chitosan applications within and outside the food system.

Dr Vijai Kumar Gupta

Centre for Safe and Improved Foods & Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Center, SRUC, Edinburgh, UK Email: vijai.gupta@sruc.ac.uk

Dr Vijai Kumar Gupta (https://www.sruc.ac.uk/connect/find-an-expert/vijai-gupta/) hold a doctoral degree in Microbiology, and currently working as SRUC Senior Challenge Research Fellow at the Centre for Safe and Improved Foods & Biorefining and the Advanced Materials Research Centre, SRUC.

His work is focused on microbial engineering biotechnologies and bioprocess technologies, as well as functional microbiome interactions, biomass to biorefineries towards sustainable product development, and bioprospecting of bioresources. As an SRUC Senior Challenge Research Fellow he aims to develop technologies to valorise available bioresources and their potential to address the key challenges in agri-food-pharma-energy and relevant sectors. He has established intense international research and academic collaborations. He has published many peer-reviewed publications with current author h-index 69.

He is currently working on:

· Bioprocessing technologies for the production of value-added biochemicals and fuels

· Protein and enzyme engineering and biochemistry of thermophilic and mesophilic microbial systems

· Microbial production of natural products, and fungal mycelium-based biodesigns and biocomposites

· Extraction of added-value bioproducts from biomass feedstocks