Enzymatic Approaches in the Bioprocessing of Shellfish Wastes

Abstract

Several tonnes of shellfsh wastes are generated globally due to the mass consumption of shellfsh meat from crustaceans like prawn, shrimp, lobster, crab, Antarctic krill, etc. These shellfsh wastes are a reservoir of valuable by-products like chitin, protein, calcium carbonate, and pigments. In the present scenario, these wastes are treated chemically to recover chitin by the chitin and chitosan industries, using hazardous chemicals like HCl and NaOH. Although this process is efcient in removing proteins and minerals, the unscientifc dumping of harmful efuents is hazardous to the ecosystem. Stringent environmental laws and regulations on waste disposal have encouraged researchers to look for alternate strategies to produce near-zero wastes on shellfsh degradation. The role of enzymes in degrading shellfsh wastes is advantageous yet has not been explored much, although it produces bioactive rich protein hydrolysates with good quality chitin. The main objective of the review is to discuss the potential of various enzymes involved in shellfsh degradation and their opportunities and challenges over chemical processes in chitin recovery.