Chitin crustacean waste and mushrooms for possible development of products in tissue engineering, medicine, and industry. Chitin Chitin (CHON) ( ), a long-chain polymer of "N"-acetylglucosamine, is a derivative of glucose. It is a primary component of cell walls in fungi, the exoskeletons of arthropods, such as crustaceans (e.g., crabs, lobsters and shrimps) and insects, the radulae of molluscs, cephalopod beaks, and the scales of fish and lissamphibians. The structure of chitin is comparable to another polysaccharide - cellulose, forming crystalline nanofibrils or whiskers. In terms of function, it may be compared to the protein keratin. Chitin has proved useful for
Xylanase Xylanase Xylanase (, "endo-(1->4)-beta-xylan 4-xylanohydrolase", "endo-1,4-xylanase", "endo-1,4-beta-xylanase", "beta-1,4-xylanase", "endo-1,4-beta-D-xylanase", "1,4-beta-xylan xylanohydrolase", "beta-xylanase", "beta-1,4-xylan xylanohydrolase", "beta-D-xylanase") is the name given to a class of enzymes which degrade the linear polysaccharide beta-1,4-xylan into xylose, thus breaking down hemicellulose, one of the major components of plant cell walls. As such, it plays a major role in micro-organisms thriving on plant sources for the degradation of plant matter into usable nutrients. Xylanases are produced by fungi, bacteria, yeast, marine algae, protozoans, snails, crustaceans, insect, seeds, etc., (mammals do not produce xylanases). However, the principal commercial source of xylanases is filamentous fungi. Commercial applications for