STATISTICAL OPTIMIZATION OF PARAMETERS FOR DEMINERALIZATION OF FISH SCALES USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

Abstract

Introduction: Fish processing industries generate 30-40% of waste that is not properly dumped so becoming a pollutant for the global environment. Fish waste tends to get spoiled rapidly by synthetic or microbiological processes so cause diseases through contaminating the environment. Apart from the negative effects of fish waste, it also contains many useful substances such as chitin and collagen. Aim: The aim of this study was to optimize the demineralization conditions for chitin extraction from fish scales (Labeo rohita) using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Methods: Fish scales were collected from the local market and demineralized using hydrochloric acid (HCl) at different concentrations, treatment times, and substrate-to-solution ratios. The demineralization process was optimized using RSM, and the effects of the independent variables on demineralization were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis. Results: The optimal conditions for demineralization were found to be 0.8M HCl, 1.5:10 substrate-to-solution ratio, and 4 hours of treatment, resulting in a maximum demineralization of 99.97%. The results showed that the concentration of HCl and treatment time had significant effects on demineralization, while the substrate-to-solution ratio had a lesser effect. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the optimization of demineralization conditions for chitin extraction from fish scales using RSM. The optimal conditions obtained in this study can be applied in various industries, including pharmaceutical, medicinal, and agronomical, for the production of high-quality chitin. The results of this study provide a cost-effective and efficient method for chitin extraction from fish scales.