itin in phosphoric acid and then regenerating it in water.
Dissolution of chitin in concentrated phosphoric acid has been proceeded
with the formation of an intermediate – glucofuranosyl
oxazolinium ion from the acetyl-glucosamine unit. Regeneration
of dissolved chitin in water leads to hydrolysis of this intermediate
ion and liberates chitin with almost the same structure
(Vincendon, 1997). Compared to preparing chitin nanocrystals,
the recovery yield of the regenerated chitin was more than 90%.
Detailed physicochemical characterization of the regenerated
chitin, such as X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analyses
were reported in one of our earlier manuscripts. In this report,
the oil-in-water emulsions stabilized with regenerated chitin were
characterized and the underlying stabilization mechanism was
discussed.