A research carried out at the Technological Institute of Costa Rica (TEC) could have found the cure of the condition known as diabetic foot and a relief for people suffering from severe skin burns.
The experiment allowed the Guatemalan scientist, María Isabel Amorín, to create a product derived from the shrimp exoskeleton, which today is a waste that pollutes the environment. She did it in conjunction with the Bayer company that gave her an internship at the Costa Rican university to develop her project CrustaTec BioMar.
Amorín, who is a chemist and works for the Center for Marine Studies and Aquaculture (CEMA) of the University of San Carlos, in Guatemala, explained that through the combination of chitosan and sodium alginate, she can produce membranes for people suffering from diabetic foot as a complication of diabetes, as well as for those individuals who suffer serious burns.
Amorín explained that the objective would be achieved through the biorefinery of the shrimp exoskeleton, which would produce chitosan and thus interlock the other molecules. This, together with the use of oils, would increase the antibacterial, antimicrobial and scarring activity of the product.
The scientist said that the next step of the investigation is to make tests on animals and people. Cell tests had successful results.
She added that her research has allowed her to determine the potential of the exoskeleton of shrimp in various areas, which until now has been considered as garbage or waste product.