VALUABLE Enzymatically produced chitin

The hydrolysis of fungal biomass to produce a hydrolysate rich in non-chitin sugars, peptides and amino acids (Deliverable 2.1) and a chitin-rich, insoluble fraction has been optimized and the content, purity and the applicability of the chitin in the chitin-rich fractions obtained in optimized processes have been assessed. Using the optimized processes, about 131 g of chitin with a purity well above 90 % can be produced from one kilo of dry fungal biomass. Preliminary tests show that this chitin is suitable for the further valorisation steps that are envisaged in the project.