The physicochemical properties of chitosan prepared by microwave heating

The aim of this study was to compare the physicochemical properties of chitosan prepared by microwave and water bath heating with an equivalent quantity of heat intake. The structure and physicochemical properties of the chitosan obtained by these two methods were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffractometry (XRD), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The FTIR and XRD patterns show that there was no significant difference in the structure of chitosan produced by the two heat sources. The results showed that chitosan with 73.86% deacetylation was successfully prepared by microwave heating within 60 min, while a longer time of 180 min was required for the preparation of chitosan with the same deacetylation degree (74.47%) using the conventional heating method under the same heating rate. Even under the same temperature conditions, microwave technology can greatly reduce the reaction time by approximately 1/3, while the chitosan produced by microwaves can obtain relatively low molecular weight and viscosity. These results showed that microwaves may efficiently promote complete chemical reactions by the friction heating mechanism generated by molecular vibration beyond a rapid heating source, turning into a more efficient, energy‐saving, and environmentally friendly method for the further use of rigid shrimp shells and highly crystalline crustacean materials.