Scorpiofauna as an alternative source of chitin and chitosan: Taxonomic influence on physicochemical properties.
Abstract
The Moroccan scorpion fauna currently comprises 61 species, characterized by the existence of a chitinous exoskeleton. Most studies on chitin and chitosan extraction have been limited to marine species. In the present study, we conducted for the first time a comparative investigation of two newly studied scorpion species ( Androctonus mauritanicus and Scorpio mogadorensis ) as sources of chitin and chitosan. An extraction process was used, including demineralization, deproteinization, bleaching and deacetylation. Various physicochemical characterizations using FTIR, SEM, XRD NMR, TGA/DSC, ICP-OES, Potentiometry and Viscosimetry were performed. The results showed that chitin was extracted with yields of 16.93% and 15.60%, while chitosan was obtained with yields of 62.72% and 76.87% for A. mauritanicus and S. mogadorensis , respectively. XRD analysis revealed a decrease in crystallinity after deacetylation, with chitosan exhibiting indices of 46.15% and 49.14%. The degree of deacetylation varied depending on the method, reaching up to 99.00% and 89.55% by ¹H NMR. In addition, the obtained chitosan showed molecular weights of 102 kDa for A. mauritanicus and 65 kDa for S. mogadorensis , with good viscosity and solubility in dilute acetic acid (1%). These results highlight the influence of taxonomic origin on the structural and physicochemical properties of chitosan and demonstrate that Moroccan scorpions represent a promising alternative terrestrial source of high-quality chitosan.
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BibTeX
@article{hamdan2026scorpiofauna,
title = {{Scorpiofauna as an alternative source of chitin and chitosan: Taxonomic influence on physicochemical properties.}},
author = {Youssef Ait Hamdan and Samia Elouali and Adil El Housseini and Hamid Kabdy and Maryam Boussaid and Nadia Eladlani and Moulay Abdelmonaim El Hidan and Hassane Oudadesse and Mohammed Rhazi},
journal = {Next Materials},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.103521},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05781159v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Scorpiofauna as an alternative source of chitin and chitosan: Taxonomic influence on physicochemical properties.
AU - Youssef Ait Hamdan
AU - Samia Elouali
AU - Adil El Housseini
AU - Hamid Kabdy
AU - Maryam Boussaid
AU - Nadia Eladlani
AU - Moulay Abdelmonaim El Hidan
AU - Hassane Oudadesse
AU - Mohammed Rhazi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Next Materials
DO - 10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.103521
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05781159v1
AB - The Moroccan scorpion fauna currently comprises 61 species, characterized by the existence of a chitinous exoskeleton. Most studies on chitin and chitosan extraction have been limited to marine species. In the present study, we conducted for the first time a comparative investigation of two newly studied scorpion species ( Androctonus mauritanicus and Scorpio mogadorensis ) as sources of chitin and chitosan. An extraction process was used, including demineralization, deproteinization, bleaching and deacetylation. Various physicochemical characterizations using FTIR, SEM, XRD NMR, TGA/DSC, ICP-OES, Potentiometry and Viscosimetry were performed. The results showed that chitin was extracted with yields of 16.93% and 15.60%, while chitosan was obtained with yields of 62.72% and 76.87% for A. mauritanicus and S. mogadorensis , respectively. XRD analysis revealed a decrease in crystallinity after deacetylation, with chitosan exhibiting indices of 46.15% and 49.14%. The degree of deacetylation varied depending on the method, reaching up to 99.00% and 89.55% by ¹H NMR. In addition, the obtained chitosan showed molecular weights of 102 kDa for A. mauritanicus and 65 kDa for S. mogadorensis , with good viscosity and solubility in dilute acetic acid (1%). These results highlight the influence of taxonomic origin on the structural and physicochemical properties of chitosan and demonstrate that Moroccan scorpions represent a promising alternative terrestrial source of high-quality chitosan.
SN - 2949-8228
ER -