CHITIN AND CHITOSAN FROM THE LARRIES OF HERMETIA ILLUCENS: OBTAINING, PROPERTIES AND PROSPECTS OF USE
The paper presents scientific data on the structure, chemical composition and properties of chitin and chitosan contained in the shells of crabs, shrimp, lobsters, cuticles of cockroaches, butterfly shells, yeast cell walls, etc. Due to the exceptional properties of chitin and chitosan (biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity) they have found application in many branches of agriculture, medicine and other industries. It is promising to obtain chitin from the larvae and prepupae of the Black Lion fly, which rapidly develop and increase their live weight. Existing methods for isolating chitin from native raw materials using chemical reagents, enzymes, microbial fermentation using microwave and ultrasonic radiation, electrochemical methods, etc. are described. A chemical method, a method using enzymatic reactions and microbiological fermentation are proposed to extract chitin from crushed larvae of the Black Lion fly. Based on the data presented in the article, it was concluded that it is necessary to create effective methods for obtaining chitin from the biomaterial of the Black Lion fly larvae for its use in the production of probiotics and other biologically active drugs.