Chinese researchers say shrimp shells hold promise as environmentally-friendly catalyst for biodiesel production. Prawn shells could help make the production of biodiesel faster, cheaper and more environmentally-friendly, according to research by scientists in China.

The shells have been tested for use as a catalyst in the production of biofuel, taking the place of strong bases or acids that are normally used to convert soybean, rapeseed and other plant oils into diesel fuel.

Under conventional biofuel refinery processes, neutralizing the catalyst used to accelerate the breakdown of organic material requires a large volume of water, which results in polluted wastewater that then has to be treated and disposed of. Moreover, the catalyst cannot be reused, increasing the costs associated with the enzymes and acids that are typically used.

Howeverm, researchers at Huazhong Agriculture University in Wuhan claim to have developed an alternative approach based on a mixture of prawn shells that have been heated until they become porous and potassium fluoride.

Chanthaburi, Thailand - Thailand's commercial shrimp industry got a fresh start this year with Sureerath Farm's shipment of 40 tonnes of organic shrimp to Switzerland and Germany.

The exports represent Thailand's first foray into the organic shrimp market, a fairly new product even for health-conscious European customers.

The shipment also marked a new beginning for Thailand's shrimp industry, which has an environmentally dirty past.

Sureerath Farm in Laem Sing district of Chanthaburi province, 220 kilometres east of Bangkok, is the first and still only Thai farm to receive certification from Naturland, an association of organic farmers in Germany, for meeting standards for raising shrimp and ensuring product quality. The certification paved the way for Sureerath to secure orders this year from Switzerland's Co-op retailer and Germany's Deutsche See, an organic sea food distributor.

Mangalore, which exports 66% of the India's total marine fish products, could be in for some serious trouble if the European Union (EU) inspectors visiting the South Wharf area at Bunder on November 20, find exacting hygiene standards lacking. But the department of fisheries is confident of passing the acid test in flying colors as, they claim that enough preparation had gone into making the export facility conform to EU standards.This is the first time an EU team is visiting the state as far as marine fish exports is concerned. There will be two EU teams visiting the East and the West coasts of the country to find out whether the fish exported to EU countries met the stringent hygiene norms at fish landing centers.

There are six fish landing centers in India - Karwar, Honnavar, Tadadi, Gangolli, Malpe and Mangalore. The EU team will visit Mangalore as it exports more than two-thirds of the marine fish products in the state, according to Maheshwaran, assistant director, Department of Fisheries. He said the EU team would not find the standards lacking as they had done everything within their limits to ensure proper standards were followed.

In the United States, the government has ordered a recall of Sea Best brand 1.5 lb. Shrimp Skewers because certain lots of this product contain undeclared sulfites. People who have severe sensitivity to sulfites run the risk of serious or life-threatening reactions if they consume this product.

To eliminate any uncertainty, all 1.5 lb. Shrimp Skewer lots from China not listing sulfites as an ingredient are being recalled nationwide in the USA. So far no illnesses have been reported to date.

For years, U.S. inspection records show, China has flooded the United States with foods unfit for human consumption. And for years, FDA inspectors have simply returned to Chinese importers the small portion of those products they caught - many of which turned up at U.S. borders again, making a second or third attempt at entry.