DECOLORING PROCESS FOR CHITIN OR CHITOSAN

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decolor chitin or chitosan with improved productivity, with no use of any dehydrating agent or the like, and moreover with low cost, excellent safety, little degradation in the properties, by soaking chitin or chitosan with water, them warming on for a specific time, and then drying. ;SOLUTION: A chitin or chitosan having a particle dia. of 1 cm or less, pref. 30-200 μm in an amount of 100 pts.wt., is soaked with 100 pts.wt. or more, pref. 150-1000 pts.wt. of water to give the chitin or chitosan having a water content of 50% or more. This chitin or chitosan is warmed to 50°C or above, pref. 70-120°C, and more pref. 80-90°C, then kept for 2 hr or more, pref. 3-24 hr, and more pref. 3-8 hr, and then dried. This process, not needing any chemicals for decoloration, can give the chitin or chitosan with none of contaminants such as common bacteria and foreign matters, and with high quality suitable for food use. In addition, the drying in the decoloration is pref. carried out with a drier equipped with an agitating device.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2000,JPO