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This work presents, for the first time, the extraction and characterization of chitin and chitosan from the testa (T) and spines (S) of the invasive sea urchin (Diadema setosum) from the İskenderun Bay in the Northeastern Mediterranean. Testa chitin (T-CT), spine chitin (S-CT), testa chitosan (T-CS), and spine chitosan (S-CS) were isolated following demineralization, deproteinization (chitin), and deacetylation (chitosan). The yield of chitin extraction from dry sea urchin testa (T-CT) and spines (S-CT) were 57.2 ± 1.43% and 67.1 ± 0.17%, respectively. The yield of chitosan produced from extracted testa (T-CS) and spines (S-CS) chitin were 87.3 ± 1.82% and 74.04 ± 1.27%, respectively. Degree of deacetylation (DD%) value were calculated using FT-IR (84.19% and 85.80%), resulting in a high DD. They were perfectly soluble in acidic solution. We also characterized the isolated chitin (T-CT and S-CT) and chitosan (T-CS and S-CS) by determining its physicochemical properties using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM). Overall, the results indicated that the preparation of chitin and chitosan from the invasive sea urchin testa and spines could open the opportunity for the value-added seafood waste to be utilized in a wide range of practical applications such as medicine, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

In this study, metal concentration levels (Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb) were investigated in the gill, hepatopancreas, ovary, testis, and mantle of the male and female cuttlefish Sepia officinalis in various stations (Iskenderun, Antalya, Kas, Gazipasa, and Anamur) in Mediterranean coasts of Turkey. Hepatopancreas tissue was a better indicator in terms of heavy metal concentration compared to the other tissues. In general, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb accumulation for the male was found more than that of the female, whereas Cd and Ni accumulation was found higher in the female. There was a relationship among the metals in the form of Co > Pb > Ni > Cd > Cr in the mantle tissue. The Pb concentration over the recommended limits was found in cuttlefish of Anamur, Antalya, and Iskenderun stations.