Seafood
Chitosan
Chitosan is made by processing chitin from shrimp and crab shell. Indonesia has the raw material because it processes shrimp at scale. Two numbers decide what it can be used for: how far the deacetylation went, and the molecular weight.
How it leaves the country.
- Technical grade
- For water treatment, agriculture and industrial use. The bulk of the volume.
- Food grade
- For food and supplement use, with tighter purity and microbiology.
- Pharmaceutical grade
- Tighter again, with documentation to match. A specialist product.
- Chitin
- The intermediate before deacetylation, sold to processors who convert it themselves.
How it is graded.
Two numbers do most of the work and the rest is purity. A supplier who cannot state both is not selling into this trade.
- Degree of deacetylation
- How much of the chitin was converted. It decides solubility and function, and it is the primary specification.
- Molecular weight or viscosity
- Decides how it behaves in solution. Specified as a range and measured under stated conditions.
- Ash
- Residual mineral from the shell. High ash means incomplete demineralisation.
- Protein residue
- Relevant for allergen reasons as well as purity, since the raw material is crustacean.
- Colour
- Off-white to pale beige. Darker product points at harsher processing or poorer raw material.
- Heavy metals
- Marine raw material concentrates them. Testing on the shipped lot rather than a reference.
How it is packed.
- Lined bags in cartons
- A hygroscopic powder. The liner is the defence against caking.
- Dust
- Fine powder. Handling at both ends needs the same care.
- Ambient
- Shelf stable dry, and heat over a long voyage does it no favours.
- Batch marking
- Bag-level batch identity tying back to production records.
Where it grows.
East Java
Java
Shrimp processing at scale, so the shell stream is available, with chemical processing capability nearby.
Lampung
Sumatra
Large shrimp farming and processing with a route through Panjang.
South Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Shrimp and crab processing with a growing by-product industry.
Documentation, where applicable.
- Certificate of analysis
- Deacetylation, viscosity or molecular weight, ash, protein residue and heavy metals on the shipped lot.
- Safety data sheet
- For industrial grades and for transport classification of the specific material.
- Health certificate
- Where the destination treats a crustacean-derived product as requiring one, which many do for food grades.1
Questions buyers ask.
What is chitosan used for?
Water treatment, agriculture, wound care, food preservation and supplement formulations, depending on the grade. The application decides which numbers matter, so name it when you enquire.
Is it an allergen?
It is derived from crustacean shell, so residual protein is an allergen question that depends on the grade and the process. For anything going into food or supplements, this belongs in the specification and on the label.
Why does deacetylation matter?
Because it determines solubility and how the polymer behaves. A grade with the wrong degree of deacetylation does not perform, whatever else the certificate says.
Tell us what you need.
Give us the specification and the destination port. We come back with producer options and an indicative price. Our fee is 5 % of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory.
Sources
- 1TRACES modules and features. European Commission, DG Health and Food Safety. Checked 3 August 2026.
- 2REACH registration and the only representative. European Chemicals Agency. Checked 3 August 2026.