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Title Turning black soldier fly rearing by-products into valuable materials: Valorisation through chitin and chitin nanocrystals production
ID_Doc 26741
Authors Falgayrac, A; Pellerin, V; Terrol, C; Fernandes, SCM
Title Turning black soldier fly rearing by-products into valuable materials: Valorisation through chitin and chitin nanocrystals production
Year 2024
Published
DOI 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122545
Abstract The industry of insect-based proteins as feed and food products has been encountering a huge development since the last decade, and industrial-scale factories are now arising worldwide. Among all the species studied, Black Soldier Fly is one of the most promising and farmed. This rearing activity generates several by-products in the form of chitin-rich biomass that can be valorised to keep a virtuous production cycle embedded in the scope of the bioeconomy. Herein, we report the isolation of chitin and, for the first time, chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) from all the BSF rearing by-products, i.e., moults (larval exuviae, puparium) and dead adults. Extraction yields, were dependent on the type of by-products and ranged from 5.8% to 20.0%, and the chemical structure of the extracts exhibited typical features of alpha-chitin, confirmed by FTIR, NMR, XRD and TGA analysis. Both STEM in SEM and AFM analysis confirmed the isolation of chitin nanocrystals presenting a rod-like morphology. The average nanocrystal height estimated by AFM ranged from 13 to 27 nm depending on the by-product sample. The following results highlighted the potential of BSF rearing by-products, promoting an approach to valorise those industrial waste and paving the way towards insect-based biorefinery.
Author Keywords Hermetia illucens; BSF; Nanochitin; Chitin; Circular economy; Insect industry; Side streams valorisation
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)
EID WOS:001282463100001
WoS Category Chemistry, Applied; Chemistry, Organic; Polymer Science
Research Area Chemistry; Polymer Science
PDF https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122545
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