Chitin

Swicofil, your expert partner for Chitin fibers and spun yarn.

Chitin is an absolutely safe material, with a scientifically proved biocompatibility, and is often used in medical, health and pharmacological fields. 

Chitin is the natural polysaccharide biologically produced by living creatures on the earth in huge quantities. Its production is similar to the cellulose, which is biologically produced by plant. 

Chitin and chitosan have a very similar chemical structore to that of cellulose as can be seen per picture below.

Chitin is a white and porous polysaccharide that forms a base for the hard shell of crustaceans like crabs, lobsters and squids. It is also found in:
 

• insects
  like dragonflies. grasshoppers and beetles
   
• mushrooms
  like shiitake and enokidake
   
• cell wall of fungi

It is also estimated that about 150'000 tons of Chitin is available for commercial use annually. However. only a few thousand tons are actually used in the world.

As long as Chitin is a natural substance included in food such as crabs, shrimps, mushrooms etc it is quite a safe material. Its safety has been verified scientifically through many tests.

One point is its high function. It is known that Chitin is biologically produced on the earth in large quantities and that Chitin has many excellent properties.

Major and basic function is activation of lysozyme and chitinase enzymes which decompose cell membrane and inhibit growth of disease bacteria. Through this function natural bio system is kept well balanced and human body is protected against disease bacteria and toxic substances.

The other point is its safety. Since Chitin is 100% natural it is quite a safe substance. Safety has been well verified through oral intake and dermal absorption tests. This is quite different from the other organic and inorganic functional materials now in the market.