Objective 6.

To support and develop infrastructure.

2.6. Action Plan.

2.6.a.1. A domestic marketing strategy may require a regional processing facility(ies) capable of ensuring a high quality, safe product following a thorough HAACP plan, the development of packaging and labeling capabilities for wider distribution, and the capability of by-product recovery from waste shell to further ensure the profitability of the processing facility.

2.6.a.2. Packaging Science faculty will address each of these areas as follows:

• Development of a HACCP plan to ensure the delivery of a safe product with the consideration of the requirements for longer shelf-life and a high quality product.
• Both processing conditions and packaging requirements must be optimized.
• Determine the most aesthetic yet durable package for a wider distribution of the product. Processing and packaging operations must be synchronized and packaging operations and cost of materials will be optimized. A thorough economic analysis of these operations will be required.
• As a by-product of the shrimp industry, shrimp shells could prove to have tremendous value. The feasibility of processing operations also converting waste shells to the by-product chitin should be determined. Chitin is currently used in a variety of ways commercially, most notably as a source of chitosan and glucosamine in the nutraceutical industry. About 15% of the dry weight of shrimp is chitin. The basic process of extracting chitin from shells has been established, but the adaptation of a shrimp processing facility to also process shells in a continuous mode needs to be established.

2.6.a.3. Budget

Faculty salaries = $23,810.00, fringes (26%) = $6,190, graduate student stipends = $20,000, supplies = $15,000; travel reimbursed at customary Clemson University rates = $15,000; total = $80,000.

2.6.b. Additional as yet unidentified contractors will be secured to address infrastructure issues = $700,000.