Chitosan Extrusion at High Solids Content: An Orthogonal Experimental Design Study

Abstract

For economic reasons and to save time there is a need to shorten the drying operation associated with the production of chitosan materials. Hence it is of interest to extrude chitosan at as high a solids content as possible. This is, to our knowledge, the first systematic study of the extrusion of chitosan at high solids content (60 wt%). An orthogonal experimental design was used to evaluate the effect of processing conditions and material factors on the extrudability of chitosan. This, together with the examination of the evenness and surface finish of the extrudate, made it possible to determine the best conditions for obtaining a readily extrudable high quality material. It was observed that a 1/1 ratio of chitosans with molar masses of 12 and 133 kDa, a process liquid containing 30 wt% acetic acid and 70 wt% water, and extrusion at 50 rpm and 50°C were the optimal material and processing conditions. Materials processed under these conditions were evaluated mechanically at different times after extrusion (stored at 50% RH) in order to see when the properties stabilized. Most mass loss occurred within the first three days after extrusion and this governed the mechanical properties (stiffness and extensibility), which also exhibited the largest changes within these three days (an increase in modulus from 18 to 830 MPa and a decrease in elongation at break from 17 to 3%).