IN VITRO DIGESTIBILITY OF FEED WITH ADDITIVES OF CHITIN AND CHITOSAN EXTRACTED FROM SNAIL AND PERIWINKLE SHELLS USING COOKING ASH POTASH

ABSTRACT

The use of cooking ash potash in the extraction of feed additives such as chitin and chitosan from snail and periwinkle shells have shown potential replacements for the use of alkali. NaOH have been known to create environmental concerns and safety concerns during handling and extraction processes. The cooking ash extract showed and exhibited similar physical and chemical properties with lower concentrations of NaOH (2% and 4%). Snail and Periwinkle shells had high yield extracts of 88.44% and 89.64% which has a positive correlation with the yields of chitosan of 79.76% and 82.97% respectively. The in vitro digestibility showed that Periwinkle Chitosan, at 0.3%, produced the least methane (CH4% GV) in terms of gas volume, demonstrating efficient gas use (64.67%) while snail chitosan at 0.3% inclusion level has the potential to improve animal nutrition and support healthier livestock populations, pointing to it as a promising source for feed incorporation. Insights into the molecular makeup of the chitosan sample from the snail shells were gained through FTIR analysis. It is possible that chitin underwent significant deacetylation to produce chitosan because the 1650 cm-1 band, which represents the C=O stretching vibration of acetyl groups in the amide I region, is absent. Since the majority of the acetyl groups have been removed due to high levels of deacetylation and the chitosan sample is primarily made up of amino groups (NH2), this absence denotes a high degree of deacetylation. Furthermore, the 1787 cm-1 band's presence suggests the survival of some acetyl groups in the chitosan structure. Further study on periwinkle-derived chitin and chitosan treatments should be prioritized, especially at greater concentrations, according to the experimental data as they have potentials in enhancing livestock production.