A brand new use for shellfish waste: Extending the shelf lifetime of produce – Uplaza

Crab shells would possibly simply have one other function moreover fodder for the compost bin. College of Maryland researchers have engineered a seafood-waste materials that removes chemical pesticides and herbicides from produce and extends shelf life, a discovery that would have widespread purposes in preserving agricultural harvests.

The brand new know-how, manufactured from a spinoff of crab and shrimp shells, is designed to type a microscopically skinny nanocrystal layer on the handled produce, eradicating chemical residues. The work, revealed within the journal Matter, was a collaboration amongst researchers within the Departments of Supplies Science and Engineering (MSE) and Vitamin Meals and Science (NFSC).

“This work offers a viable solution to improve food safety associated with our daily life,” mentioned Qin Wang, a professor in vitamin and meals science and collaborator within the examine.

Pesticide residues on vegetables and fruit have been linked to extreme well being issues, together with elevated dangers of most cancers, attention-deficit hyperactivity dysfunction and Alzheimer’s illness.

Frequent family cleaners, starting from vinegar and soda options to extra expensive alternate options like hydrogen peroxide and ozone, are extensively used to take away pesticides and herbicides, however they’re both ineffective or harm the produce’s look and style. The washing course of itself can also shorten the shelf life because of “micro-wounds” like bruises shaped on the fruits’ floor.

To deal with this challenge, researchers developed a brand new kind of porous materials manufactured from chitosan (abundantly current in shellfish waste) and copper, which has antimicrobial properties, and sprayed a skinny layer on strawberries.

The researchers employed a smartphone app that buyers might use at residence to test the chemical residue stage, which discovered this new materials was efficient in absorbing them; the coating additionally enhanced the fruit’s shelf life and was simply rinsed off.

Consisting solely of supplies and chemical compounds which might be Usually Acknowledged as Protected (GRAS), a designation established by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration, the know-how can be extremely scalable.