1 BORNEO SCIENCE 41 (2) : SEPTEMBER 2020 THE COMPOSITION OF CHITIN, CHITOSAN AND ITS DERIVATIVES IN THE CONTEXT OF PREPARATION AND USABILITY- A REVIEW Syaheera Md Zin 1 , Adnin Awalludin 1 , Newati Wid 1 , Kamarulzaman Abd. Kadir 2 and Mohd Sani Sarjadi 1 * 1 Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. 2 Enviro Clean Energy Sdn. Bhd. Suite, Level 5, Bangunan Perkim, No. 150, Jalan Ipoh, 51200, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. *Corresponding author: msani@ums.edu.my ABSTRACT. The demand for chitosan polymer in domestic and industrial use is increasingly rising. The applications are widely used in the fields of nutrition, cosmetics, biomedical, pharmaceutical, water treatment and agriculture. Normally, the preparation of chitin comes from a bio-waste source and requires three chemical processes including demineralisation, deproteinisation, and discolouration. Meanwhile, the preparation of chitosan from chitin is through the process of deacetylation. The production of chitosan and its derivatives have covered various fields, including synthetic polymers. It has also become a medium and alternative material helping to solve many problems including being able to save time, cost and energy in the production of a material. Then, there will be a positive impact on environmental sustainability and biomedical engineering. The chitin derivatives resulting from deacetylation of chitosan are also flexible enough to be lysosomal enzymes, which can be used as carriers of active drug substances in the body system. Various efforts and research have been carried out on the development of chitosan-based polymeric materials, in particular organic polymers. Chitosan- based polymers can be used as an alternative to replace petroleum and natural gas resources. Besides, it is easy to dispose of, degrades quickly, has a short shelf life and is environmentally friendly. It is proven as many previous reports and studies on the synthesis, characteristics and use of these polymers around the world. The purpose of this review is to explain the properties, methods of preparation and use of chitin, chitosan and its derivatives. KEYWORDS. Chitosan, chitin, deacetylation, polymer INTRODUCTION The increase in the world population raises concerns about the use of synthetic polymers. Awareness of the importance of preserving the environment is crucial. The general knowledge of waste disposal should be taken seriously by every user in addition to the selection of environmentally friendly synthetic materials such as biopolymers as they can decompose naturally. Since the use of synthetic polymers creates issues for customers and the natural environment, various studies were conducted to produce environmentally friendly alternative materials. The physical properties of chitosan polymers include biodegradable, biocompatible properties, unique chemical structure, multi-dimensional properties, harmless health and environment, as well as minimal toxic