Chitosan is a widespread biopolymer, found in the cuticles of arthropods, the cell walls of fungi, and the skeletal structures of insects. The applicability of chitosan covers many areas: medicine, pharmacy, food/feed, agriculture, textile and water purifications. Previous studies show that the properties of chitosan depend on the source from which it was isolated. Herein, we produced chitosan from corneal lens and rest part of the head of Laphria flava to compare the physicochemical properties between them.
We proved the purity of the obtained chitosan samples by using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to determine the properties of the obtained chitosan. TGA analysis showed similar results for both samples. 3D chitosan isolated from insect cornea lens has a unique compound structure - hexagonal-circular shape. The outer surface of the membrane is characterized by papillae forms; however, there are small hexagonal holes on the inner sides.
Considering all the results, it has been noted that the physicochemical properties of chitosan vary according to the living source and body parts and functions performed.