Nutritional value and characteristics of chitin from slipper lobster ( Thenus orientalis ) for functional food ingredient

Slipper lobster lives on the bottom of sandy marine waters. The nutritional content and utilization of its large carapace (50%) can be converted into chitin. However, the potential of it has not been fully utilized due to the lack of biological information and nutritional value. This study aims to determine the nutritional content of Slipper lobster and determine the characteristics of its chitin. This research used a descriptive method. Parameters observed include morphology, proportion, chemical composition, and deacetylation degree. The result showed that Slipper lobster weighs about 80-240 g with a length of 15.2-24.7 cm, with a carapace percentage of 53.85% greater than the percentage of meat at 34.98%. tThe nutritional values of carapace and meat were protein 37.90%, 88.10%, fat 0.08%, 0,26%, carbohydrate 0.31%, 3.94%, fiber 6.28%, 1.38%, ash 55.43%, 6.32%, and water 41.95%, 77.19%, respectively. Furthermore, deacetylation degree of chitins was 64.10% which had a water content of 3.50%, ash 5.85%, and minerals potassium 6.75 mg/L, calcium 114.95 mg/L, sodium 15.65 mg/L, and iron 0.95 mg/L. This data showed that Slipper lobster has potential as a functional food ingredients, such as a protein isolates and hydrolysates, but the characteristics of chitin can be improved through chitosan extraction process.