Characteristics of cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) chitosan and chitosan-based nanoparticles

The field cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) is commonly consumed as food in different parts of the world. This study was performed to characterize the chitosan extracted from crickets and to assess its potential use to the growing functional market. The degree of deacetylation (DA), Fourier-transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction patterns, molecular mass, scanning electron microscopy spectra, and color were measured. Cricket chitosan nanoparticles were prepared, and the optimal conditions were identified. The molecular mass of the cricket chitosan was lower than that of commercial chitosan; however, the DA, FTIR, and XRD spectra were similar. The particle size (208.27 ± 3.47 nm), zeta potential (35.72 ± 1.29 mV), and polydispersity index (PDI: 0.27 ± 0.03) of the cricket chitosan NPs were superior to the commercial. Addition of NaCl reduced the cricket chitosan NPs size up to 15.5%. This finding is a novel trial to prove the availability of the insect chitosan with a low molecular mass as an active carrier source.