(Image: NOAA)
Shark Jello may not seem very appealing, but the scientists were inspired to analyze the blue shark skin because they believe "it is one of the most serious marine wastes in Japan," where the rest of the fish is used to make things like shark fin soup and shark stews.
After putting the blue shark skin through a barrage of tests, they determined it possesses very high tensile strength, with internal protein fibers not breaking easily when the material is stretched. But its most interesting attribute, from a tech usage standpoint, is its high opacity. Gelatin made from blue shark skin turns out to be much more clear "compared to films from bony fish skin."
When the scientists added glycerol to the mixture, the sweet syrup improved the blue shark gelatin's flexibility and enhanced its UV barrier qualities even more, according to a paper that will be published in the October issue of the journal Food Hydrocolloids.
While I know the scientists plan to make better use of shark skin that is otherwise discarded, I hope the extensive gathered information on the material can be used to chemically duplicate blue shark skin properties, perhaps using plant ingredients. Medicine coated with blue shark skin gelatin could be a bitter pill to swallow, thinking of shark conservation efforts, but pills with natural ingredients that were inspired by sharks could be just what the doctor ordered.
Diver Jonathan Bird doesn't mind if his boat is surrounded by blue sharks.
Tags: Animals
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