MEKSEA.COM – Today, the area of ​​aquaculture is expanding, leading to an increase in shrimp by-products. In 2017, Vietnam’s shrimp by-products exceeded 320,000 tons, expected to increase by 60% in 2025. These by-products are the obsession of many seafood processing facilities due to their decomposition, polluting the environment.

Shrimp by-products are the discarded parts during shrimp processing, including head, shell, liver, pancreas… Shrimp by-products account for 35-45% of shrimp weight, depending on the type of black tiger shrimp or vannamei shrimp. With the current development plan, perhaps in 2025, shrimp production is 1,153,000 and by-products 403,550 -518,820 tons.

Vietnamese student creates environmentally-friendly bioplastic from shrimp shells 

Faced with the situation of seriously affecting the environment, recently, a group of Vietnamese students came up with an idea to research a project of recycling seafood waste into bioplastics, to reduce plastic waste. Moreover, processing many utensil items such as plastic cups, chopsticks, spoons, plates.

Shrimp by-products will be preliminarily processed by washing and drying and crushing to remove minerals and proteins, and finally mixing to form bioplastics.

In the finished product, shrimp shell accounts for 65% (resin, pigment, plasticizer oil and so on). Bioplastic products recycled from seafood waste, when decomposed, will not create microplastics like others. Therefore, it is safe for consumers’ health and environmentally friendly.

In addition to products that are everyday utensils items such as cups, plates, spoons, chopsticks, straws, plastic bags, etc. These students also aim to process shrimp by-products, toys and medical equipment.

This is not only a unique creative idea with high applicability. But also has practical meaning, contributing to environmental protection.

Other benefits from shrimp by-products

In addition, shrimp offal includes pigments such as protein, chitin, and carotenoids, especially astaxanthin. Therefore, people can process shrimp or fish food from shrimp offal. This feed is necessary for the development of red or pink color in the flesh of salmon and shrimp.

Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant. Which assists in reducing the risk of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, improves immune function and anti-inflammatory activity.

Moreover, offal from shrimp processing is also an ingredient in animal feeds, providing a source of high-quality protein but not expensive.

The outer shell of shrimp is mainly made up of chitin. It is one of the most abundant polysaccharides in nature, related to cellulose. Oxidative reduction of this compound produces chitosans, which are polymers of glucosamine units that are more water-soluble than chitin. Both are organic substances that are hypoallergenic, have no toxicity to mammals, and have a multitude of uses in the fields of agriculture and medicine.

Chitin also has many applications in human medicine. People can use it to coat suture materials and in burns and wound dressings. In dressings on skin graft sites, it can accelerate wound healing and inhibit infection. Antibacterial sponges, contact lenses and artificial blood vessels have been formulated to contain chitin as an active ingredient.

Moreover, this is a critical ingredient in processing cosmetic substances, toothpaste, feminine products, sponges, and diapers.

If you know other benefit from seafood waste, please tell us.

By Hayati (Business Team)

(hayati@mekseaconnection.com)

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