You’re not here for a chemistry lesson. You need to know: does Chitosan Global actually have Shellfish Chitosan Oligosaccharide in stock, what grades, at what specification, and can you get a sample before you commit real money to it.

Shrimp-and-crab-derived COS, Food and Industrial grade, molecular weight under 5,000 Da, DDA in the 85–90% range depending on grade, COA issued per batch, 25 g sample with free shipping, 1 kg standard unit, bulk on request. Everything below is what to check before you buy from anyone — us included.

Need Shellfish COS for Formulation or Production?

Start with a 25 g sample to evaluate the material against your own formulation requirements before moving to a larger order.

Buy 25g Sample · Request Current COA

Supply at a Glance

Flagged for your own verification before ordering: the product catalog’s quick-reference spec lists molecular weight as “Below 5 kDa” across the board, while grade-specific documentation elsewhere describes an Industrial-grade range extending up to roughly 10 kDa. If your application depends on a precise molecular-weight ceiling, request the batch-specific COA and confirm the exact figure rather than relying on either summary number this is exactly the kind of discrepancy the next section tells you to catch with any supplier, including this one.

Don’t Buy on the Name Alone

“Chitosan Oligosaccharide” is not a specification. It’s a category with a wide range of legitimate variation inside it, and price-per-kilo tells you nothing about what’s actually in the bag. Before you commit to any supplier, pull these numbers and compare them against your requirement:

Any supplier who can’t produce a current, batch-specific COA on request is asking you to buy blind.

Why Molecular Weight Decides More Than You’d Think

Two bags of “Shellfish COS” at the same price point can perform completely differently in your system if their molecular-weight profiles don’t match. Lower molecular weight generally means faster dissolution and lower viscosity; a wider distribution around that average can mean inconsistent behavior batch to batch even when the headline number looks fine. This is the single most common place buyers get burned comparing suppliers on price alone. For the deeper technical explanation of what molecular weight controls and why the distribution matters as much as the average, see low molecular weight Shellfish COS.

Grade Fit, Not Just Availability

Availability isn’t the same as fit. Food Grade is documented for nutraceutical, functional food, and beverage use; Industrial Grade carries a different purity and testing profile suited to agricultural, water-treatment, and coating applications. Ordering the wrong grade because it was cheaper or in stock faster is a common, avoidable procurement mistake. If you’re formulating a functional food or beverage, see Shellfish COS for Functional Foods for grade-relevant detail. If you’re working on an agricultural or plant-growth application, see Shellfish COS for Plant Growth.

Where This Material Comes From — and How to Verify It

Shellfish COS starts as shrimp or crab shell, gets demineralized and deproteinized down to purified chitin, deacetylated into chitosan, then enzymatically broken down into the short-chain oligosaccharide you’re actually buying. Process control at each stage not just the final powder test is what determines whether the batch you receive matches the one you sampled. Ask any supplier how they control for that, not just what the final spec sheet says. For the full production pathway, see How Shellfish COS Is Manufactured.

Same Backbone, Different Feedstock — Is Shellfish Actually Right for You?

Shellfish isn’t automatically the correct choice just because it’s the most established source. If your product needs vegan or shellfish-allergen-free labeling, shellfish origin disqualifies itself immediately — no spec sheet fixes that. If your formulation needs a specific molecular-weight or DDA range that’s easier to source from a different origin, source selection should follow the spec, not the reverse. See Shellfish COS vs Mushroom COS and Shellfish COS vs BSF COS for direct, non-biased comparisons before you lock in a sourcing decision.

For the broader chemistry, properties, and full application picture behind this material, see the Shellfish Chitosan Oligosaccharide guide this page stays focused on sourcing and procurement, not the underlying science.

Sample First. Always.

1. Review the specification against your actual requirement — not the marketing bullet points.
2. Request the current COA. If a supplier hesitates here, that’s your answer.
3. Buy a 25 g sample. It’s cheap insurance against a bulk order that doesn’t perform.
4. Test it in your own process — solubility, mixing, viscosity, compatibility with whatever else is in your formulation.
5. Confirm the grade and quantity you actually need based on what the sample tells you.
6. Request bulk pricing once you know the material fits.
7. Move to production quantity.

A clean COA and a good sample result are strong signals, not guarantees that performance holds identically at commercial scale — plan for a verification step when you do scale up.

View Product Specifications · Order a 25g Sample

Need Bulk Shellfish COS?

Once your sample confirms fit, request bulk pricing directly. Give us your target quantity, grade, application, and destination, and we’ll come back with current pricing and lead time — pricing depends on volume, current market conditions, and shipping, so we don’t publish a static bulk price table that goes stale.

Get Bulk Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy Shellfish Chitosan Oligosaccharide?
Through the product page 25 g sample, 1 kg unit, and bulk packs are all available.

What specifications should I check before buying Shellfish COS?
Molecular weight, molecular-weight distribution, DDA, purity, solubility, moisture, ash, and for food-relevant grades microbiological and heavy-metal data. Get all of it from the current batch COA, not a general spec sheet.

What is the MOQ for Shellfish COS?
A 25 g sample is the smallest unit, intended specifically for evaluation before you commit to a 1 kg or bulk order.

Can I buy a 25 g sample?
Yes, with free shipping, through the product page.

Is a COA available before ordering?
Yes, on request. Confirm the exact molecular-weight and DDA figures for your batch before finalizing an order, especially given the range discrepancy flagged in the spec table above.

What grades of Shellfish COS are available?
Food and Industrial grades are the primary offerings, with Agricultural grade also listed. Confirm which grade’s testing scope matches your actual regulatory or application requirement.

Do you supply Shellfish COS in bulk?
Yes, contact us with your required quantity, grade, and destination for current bulk pricing and lead time.

How do I request bulk pricing?
Provide your target quantity, grade, application, and destination through our contact page, and we’ll respond with current pricing.

What is the molecular weight of Shellfish COS?
Under 5,000 Da per the current product listing; confirm the exact figure and distribution for your specific grade and batch via COA, since documentation across grade tiers isn’t fully consistent (see the flagged discrepancy above).

How should I choose between Shellfish and Mushroom COS?
Start with any hard requirement vegan or allergen-free labeling rules out shellfish immediately. Beyond that, compare molecular weight, DDA, and purity against your formulation need rather than assuming either origin is inherently better. See Shellfish COS vs Mushroom COS.

Ready to Evaluate Shellfish COS?

Buy 25g Sample · Request Current COA · Get Bulk Quote