Abstract:
Throughout the years of chitosan production, numerous sources have been tested
to produce desired quality of chitosan for commercia1 use. However, never been reported
any study on the potentiaJ of chitinous shelled horseshoe crab. lb.is research aims to
produce chitosan from two species of horseshoe crab, Tachyp/eus gigas and
C.rotundicauda. Chitosan from horseshoe crabs, Tachyp/eus gigas and Carcinoscorpius
rotundicauda has been produced and physico-chemically characterized. The chitosan is
made by a common chemical process involving three steps, deproteini:z.ation,
deminerali:z.ation, and deacytelation. The result shows the percentage yield of chitosan
production for T. gigas and C. rotundicauda were 19 .18% and 19. 70% respectively. The
degree of deacytelation were determined by potentiometric method and the va1ue for T.
gigas is 72.02% while C. rotundicauda with value of 60.53%. The physico-chemical
properties of chitosan from T. gigas are 6.78% of moisture content, 75.9% solubility in
1 % acetic acid, 0.1 % of ash content, 224% of fat binding capacity with soy bean oil and
332% for sunflower oil. Meanwhile the moisture content of C. rotundicauda is 1.67%,
78.96% .of solubility, ash content of 0.17%, fat bound with soybean oil of 261 % and
323.% for sunflower oil. This study demonstrate that chitosan could be obtained from the
two species of horseshoe crabs commonly found in Malaysia with higher percentage
yield and within commercial standard for solubility, ash content and moisture content
