Chitin is a polysaccharide of animal origin, is obtained from waste material of seafood industries. It occurs in the skeletal material of crustaceans such as crabs, shrimps, lobsters, prawns and crayfish. The extraction of the chitin and chitosan of various body parts of mud crab Scylla tranquebarica showed that the legs shell yield more than carapace shell and claw shell. The quality parameters of chitin & chitosan was analysed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectrometry and compared with standards.

Keywords: Chitin, chitosan, mud crab, Scylla tranquebarica, FT-IR.