Chitin is a polysaccharide that forms fibers similar to cellulose. It is a major component of cell walls of fungi, insect exoskeletons and crustacean shells. Chitin and its deacetylated derivatives are attracting attention in diverse fields, due to their numerous biomedical applications including surgical sutures and tissue engineering. Moreover, chitosan is a versatile material with an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory property. Chitin is found in fungi, plants, the exoskeletons of crustaceans and molluscs, insects and many species of algae. Its (1-4)-linked N-acetyl-ss-D-glucosamine polysaccharide is an important structural component for many living organisms and plays a crucial role in their morphology, physiology, and development. The unique nature of chitin and its derivatives, including chitosan and oligosaccharides, offers a vast structural and functional potential in numerous fields. In the biomedical field, chitin and its derivatives offer a number of advantages over other synthetic biopolymers. It is a natural, biodegradable, non-toxic, and antimicrobial material that exhibits high wound-healing aptitude and low immunogenicity. These properties make it a promising candidate for tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, and other biomedical applications. Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer on earth after cellulose and occurs in numerous plant and animal phyla. It is produced in a wide range of crystalline conformations by a combination of natural processes such as polymerization, crystallization and non-equilibrium self-assembly. In nature, chitin is found in the exoskeletons of insects, crustaceans and fish; it also plays an important role in fungal cell walls and peritrophic matrix, cuticles of insects, nematode eggs and protozoan cyst wall. Chitin and its derivative chitosan have several unique properties that have made them valuable for a variety of applications including drug delivery, RNA and peptide delivery. It also exhibits anti-microbial and wound healing properties. It is also eco-friendly and biodegradable. It also plays a vital role in fungi as it is part of their cell walls and spores. This natural polysaccharide is used as a biofuel and has great market potential, especially 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The use of chitin in generating high-value chemicals from waste biomass represents a key opportunity to alleviate the global energy crisis and environmental pollution. Conversion of chitin to HMF under various conditions can provide valuable platform compounds for multifunctional applications, such as fine chemicals, key pharmaceutical intermediates, functional polyesters, solvents and liquid fuels. During the recent years, plastics have become a key factor in causing environmental concerns, which has led many scientists to develop biodegradable polymers. They are considered more eco-friendly than petrochemical-based polymers and can be disposed of easily. The use of chitin as a biodegradable material in packaging applications is gaining more and more popularity. It can be used to improve barrier properties and reduce the amount of food waste. Chitin is a biodegradable polymer that can be used for packaging. This is especially useful for edible products such as fish, shrimp and mushrooms that need to be stored at low temperatures or kept fresh for extended periods of time. It can also be used to make durable, biodegradable film for food packaging that could replace plastic. It consists of layers of chitin and cellulose that are spray-applied to a substrate. In comparison to PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the new biodegradable material has 67 percent less oxygen permeability. This is due to its crystalline structure, which blocks gas molecules from penetrating the film.
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