Re: [compost_tea] chitin, chitinase, crab shells

From: Jeff Young <sharkman_04101_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 12:40:12 -0700 (PDT)

Anne,
 
Let me know how much crab shell you are looking for. I assume it is a small amount (less than 10 lbs). I can mill it to whatever size you want. If you only need a small amount, I would be happy to give it to you (just pick up the freight).
 
We produce chitin and chitosan here, though not every day.
 
I am glad to see you bring this subject up. There are companies out there trying to pass off crab shell as chitin, or they tout the benefits of chitin or chitosan as though that is what their product is.
 
People need to understand that crab shells (or anything that contains chitin) needs to have the chitin and chitosan extracted from them. The best method for doing this in agriculture, as I understand it, is through vermi-composting.
 
We use a chemical process here, but we are trying to find a way to do it enzymatically.
 
I am sure that Elaine will have a lot to say on this subject as we have discussed it at length.
 
I would love to see some SFI testing in this area. I would be happy to supply the raw materials for this. Squid quills are a source of pure chitin that occurs naturally in nature. I would like to see how squid quills (which we also have) would compare to crab shell in vermi-compost. Crab shell is generally considered the best source of chitin/chitosan because it gives you the highest yield of chitin.
 
Regards,
Jeff Young
President
Advanced Marine Technologies
49 Hassey Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Tel: (508) 991-5225
Fax: (508) 991-3033
www.organicgem.org

 
I attended the Vermico conference in Portland this past weekend
(great conference by the way) and gleaned that finely ground
crab/lobster shells fed to a vermicomposting system or added to as a
tea nutrient selects for organisms (bacteria?) that break chitin
down.

The reason why (I think) this is important is that these organisms
are then used to control insects that have chitin in their bodies
(exoskeleton?), and fungal pathogens that also contain chitin.

I may or may not have the correct information here, and was hoping
this might stimulate discussion about using fine ground crab shells
as a nutrient in our teas, or the use of crab shell fed vermicompost
in our teas.

I'm also trying to locate a source of fine ground crab shells.

I would appreciate any thoughts any of you might have on this.

Anne Donahue



Yahoo! Groups SponsorADVERTISEMENT

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
compost_tea-unsubscribe_at_yahoogroups.com



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.


---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search



Received on Wed Oct 15 2003 - 17:25:47 EDT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:14:49 EST