Researchers from the University of Connecticut have discovered a path to turn seafood waste such as crab and lobster shells into plastic-free, biodegradable packaging.
The seafood industry generates large amounts of food waste dumped into landfills where it decomposes slowly and releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Researchers from the Department of Nutritional Sciences have been looking at how that waste could be used to help rather than harm the environment.
The team is led by researchers Mingyu Qiao, Assistant Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, and Yangchao Luo, Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences.
They are looking for a solution that tackles waste from seafood as well as plastic packaging which is also a major source of waste in the world.
Qiao said the team is looking for ways to better use seafood waste to create a value-added product.
“Each type of seafood waste has different (chemical) components, and they might have different properties, so it can be good for different applications,” he said.
“The challenge is how to identify those molecules, their properties, and the best use.”
The team is working with natural polymers which are safer for human, animal, and environmental health.
Researchers said these polymers do not contain synthetic chemicals which are linked to a host of poor health outcomes, and they can be easily degraded in the ocean, given that is where they originated.
Working with alginate, a compound found in algae, as an edible coating on food, Qiao said he is looking at how spraying produce, like strawberries, with an alginate coating can help increase their shelf-life without the need for plastic packaging.
Alginate is a likely option for this application because it is edible, calorie-free, and not a common allergen, which is a concern for seafood-derived polymers.
The researchers are also working with local seaweed farmers as they move toward commercialising this technology.
Luo used an extraction process called a green biorefinery method, that does not generate toxic waste, to turn a compound found in crab and lobster shells into packing.
Qiao said this method uses microorganisms that produce enzymes to break down tissues to extract the polymers sustainably.
In partnership with UConn’s Technology Commercialization Services (TCS), Luo and Qiao forged a strategic alliance with a leading lobster processing company in Massachusetts to implement the green extraction method on seafood waste.
Together, they are pursuing a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant to accelerate the development and commercialisation of the technology.
For more information, visit: www.today.uconn.edu
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