Characterization and solubilization of chitosan from the oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis)‎

Abstract EN

Chitosan was extracted from the oriental hornet, Vespa orientalis (L.), Vespinae, Order; Hymenoptera, as a new source of insect chitosan, using chemical methods.

We assessed the physical properties of the wasp’s chitosan using different approaches including: preliminary color-change identification, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR).

The results showed that it gave a higher purity, solubility and Degree of Deacetylation (DD) compared to crustacean chitosan.

Also, it is soluble in a very low concentration of acetic acid from 0.25% to 0.5% while that of Crustacea was soluble in more than 1% acetic acid, so the oriental hornet could be a novel alternative source of higher pure and more soluble chitosan.