Extraction of chitin from horse – fly (Tabanus Bovinus L.)

Abstract

Chitin is a widely distributed polymeric polysaccharide, which is included in the exoskeleton structure of insects. Individual parts of the insect body have different functions and have a well-defined structure. Insect eyes are a unique facetic composition. It can have a distinct niche of application, for example, in contact lens manufacturing. Tabanus Bovinus L. is a dangerous agricultural pest, which attacks cows, horses and other warm-blooded animals. It characterized by two, distinctly large eyes, hard body structure, large mouth. Chitin is extracted from the eyes of the horse – fly by a conventional chemical method. For the first time in the history of research three-dimensional chitin has been isolated, separated and photographed from the eyes of the horse-fly. Differences between the inner and outer corneal lenses have been identified. The inner side of the corneal lens is smooth and sleek, the outer side is convex with bright hexahedron structures. The FT-IR analysis showed that corneal lens chitin was in the α –form.