Gamma Irradiated Chitosan as Dietary Supplement for Tilapia and Lobster

Chitosan is recognized as versatile biomaterial because of its non-toxicity, low allergenicity, biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, the low solubility of chitosan in neutral and alkaline solution limits its application. In Malaysian Nuclear Agency, chitosan was irradiated by gamma ray (cobalt 60) to produced low molecular weight chitosan in order to increased its solubility hence broaden its application in agriculture and aquaculture sectors. Irradiation dose of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 kGy were selected to study the influence of doses towards its properties. The low molecular weight chitosan Mw 2 - 10 kDa obtained from the radiation degradation by gamma ray were further used as dietary supplement for fish and crustaceans. This material was used as dietary supplement for tilapia and lobster. The growth performance of tilapia and lobster showed incredibly increment due to the enzymatic reaction in digestive system. (author)