Chitosan From Bees

Beekeeping is an occupation that has raised the income of farmers since time immemorial. The main product of this occupation is honey, which has long been noted for its nutritional and medicinal properties. Today, there is a recent discovery noting that the bees do not only produce honeys, but they are also sources of chitin and chitosan.

Chitin is a polysaccharide derived from the exoskeletons of mostly crustaceans. But, recent studies have noted that chitin is not only found in shellfish, but it is also present in insects like bees and cockroaches, as well as in some yeast and some fungi, making it one of the most abundant fibers in nature.

While it has been in existence for millennia, the current use of chitosan from bees has just recently been prepared. If we will look at chitosan from bees chemically, it appears similar to cellulose, which is a plant fiber. The plant fibers, chitosan from bees possesses a number of some properties as fiber. The main difference between the two, however, lies on the claims that unlike the plant fiber, chitosan from bees has the ability to significantly bind fat in the digestive tract, preventing the fat to be absorbed by the body. With this function, it’s no wonder then that chitosan has been recently dubbed as “fat magnet”.

How Chitosan from Bees is Prepared?

There are certain processes involved in the preparation of chitosan from bees. In the first place, the chitin and chitosan is isolated from the exoskeletons of the bees. Today, the isolation of water soluble low molecular weight chitosan from the corpses of bees has been developed. This procedure includes deproteinization of bee corpses, discoloration of the chitin-melanin complex, then deacetylation and enzymatic hydrolysis of chitosan.

Uses of Chitosan from Bees

Chitosan from bees has been used by water purification plants as a process for detoxifying water. The chitosan is generally spread over the surface of water to absorb oil, grease and other toxic substances. The chitosan absorbs these hazards, thus easily removed from the water.

The chitosan from bees is also used for coagulation of activated sludge in food and beverage processing plants like vegetable canneries and breweries. According to certain studies, this semi-solid vegetable material is a major disposal problem. Nevertheless, it does have nutritive value. Many of the scientists today are looking at the utilization of dried sludge as a protein supplement in animal feeds. Also, chitosan derived from bees does no only work effectively neutralizes fats, but it also acts as a sponge for other elements as well.

Today, chitosan from bees has been deemed effective for weight loss. Claims have it that it does work to trap fats before they are being absorbed in the body. However, these claims are still unproven as no concrete evidences were presented to support such claims. Many experts have even reported that just like chitosan derived from crustaceans, the chitosan from bees does not work effectively on its own, unless added with a proper diet and exercise.