Crab shell (CS) waste samples (particle size 3-10 and 20-35 mm) were inoculated with the newly isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa F722 to study the efficiency of microbial demineralization (DM) and deproteinization (DP) in the process of extracting chitin. The inoculated waste was incubated for 7 days at 25, 30 and 35 degrees C. Various concentrations of glucose were supplemented as carbon source. At the optimal temperature of 30 degrees C, DM was 92% and DP was 63% DP, whereas the pH dropped from initial pH 8.0 to 4.1. In comparative experiments with different amounts of CS waste, 5% CS waste treatment was shown to be the optimal amount for efficient DM. A positive relationship is correlated between DM and glucose concentration (r(2) = 0.821), whereas a negative relationship is correlated between DM and pH (r(2) = 0.793). DP and protease activity were little affected by different crab shell sizes. Crown Copyright (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.