<P> In butterfly wing scales, chitin is organized into stacks of gyroids constructed of chitin photonic crystals that produce various iridescent colors serving phenotypic signaling and communication for mating and foraging . The elaborate chitin gyroid construction in butterfly wings creates a model of optical devices having potential for innovations in biomimicry . Scarab beetles in the genus Cyphochilus also utilize chitin to form extremely thin scales (five to fifteen micrometres thick) that diffusely reflect white light . These scales are networks of randomly ordered filaments of chitin with diameters on the scale of hundreds of nanometres, which serve to scatter light . The multiple scattering of light is thought to play a role in the unusual whiteness of the scales . In addition, some social wasps, such as Protopolybia chartergoides, orally secrete material containing predominantly chitin to reinforce the outer nest envelopes, composed of paper . </P> <P> Chitosan is produced commercially by deacetylation of chitin; chitosan is soluble in water, while chitin is not . </P> <P> Nanofibrils have been made using chitin and chitosan . </P> <P> Chitin producing organisms like protozoa, fungi, arthropods, and nematodes are often pathogens in other species . </P>

Where is chitin found in the human body