Chitosan Planet

Before using chitosan, it might be important to know if it is kosher or not. Kosher, by the way, is the term derived from Hebrew which means fit or proper. It refers to foods that meet the Jewish dietary requirements.

There are two basic measurements in determining if the food prepared is kosher or non-kosher. These are the source of the ingredients and the status of the production equipment. These two criteria are the basis for kosher certification that is a guarantee that the food meets the Jewish dietary law. Now let’s check if chitosan fits these criteria.

The Source of the Ingredients

The guidelines for the sources of kosher and non-kosher materials originate in the Bible.  The interpretations, as well as the decision of the Rabbis of the post-Biblical era, have added detail, explanation, and organization to these Jewish dietary laws.  In particular, the laws maintained prohibited sources.  These include all flesh of animals which lack either split hooves or do not chew the cud.   Pork is a concrete example.

Also, poultry and meat are acceptable from animals that are slaughtered by humane method dictated by the Jewish law and carried out by specially trained slaughterers. When it comes to fish, the only types of fish allowed are those that have both fins and scales.  This requirement would exclude seafood such as shrimp and lobster.

Interestingly, chitosan is derived from these seashells. It came from chitin, which is taken from the exoskeletons of crustaceans, like shrimp and lobster.  For example, shellfish broth is made by simmering these shells in water or oil, thereby extracting the flavor from the shells.   It was clearly stated under Halacha, or the Jewish Law that any part of the body of a non-kosher species which has flavor and is not rock, may NOT be consumed.

Status of the Production Equipment

One particular rule maintained by the Jewish Law is that equipment used to manufacture products containing non-kosher ingredients may acquire non-kosher status.   However, equipment that does not meet this requirement can be restored to a kosher mode, usually depending upon the way in which the product was produced.

For example, usage of a non-kosher product, like a soup, in conjunction with liquid, requires treating the kettle with boiling water to restore its status.   Those products that were produced where there is no liquid cooking medium require a different technique, but the equipment must be treated by high heat for it to qualify on the certification under the Jewish dietary law.

Given these rules, chitosan which undergoes the process known as decalcification in which the crustacean shells first go through a hydrochloric acid bath, is a non-kosher.  In this process, the protein is removed resulting in chitin, which is the second most abundant organic substance in nature after cellulose.

Note that chitosan is also commercially produced from a squid tissue known as pen.  The squid pens are connective tissue that bend like stiff plastic and can emit a fishy odor.  Obviously, squid pens which chitosan comes from are not kosher.

A product that does not meet the above-mentioned Jewish dietary requirements is considered non-kosher. We can therefore conclude that chitosan and chitin, which come from seafood’s that do not belong to the Jewish diet, are not kosher.