An econometric estimation of Japanese shrimp supply and demand during the 1990s

Abstract

A simultaneous‐equation model of the supply and demand of shrimp in Japan is constructed, and sensitivity analyses are conducted to measure the effects of changing exchange rates and the stock holdings of shrimp. Using monthly statistics from January 1990 to December 1997, the Japanese own‐price elasticity of supply is found to be inelastic and has a less important effect than the beginning stocks factor. The Japanese demand for shrimp is also found to be price‐and income‐inelastic. The beginning of stock holdings is more sensitive to Japanese shrimp demand than the import price and income. The result of seasonality analyses shows that Japanese shrimp demand also depends on cultural factors.     

Gelation Characteristics of Mince and Washed Mince From Small-Scale Mud Carp and Common Carp

Small-scale mud carp (SC, Cirrhina microlepis) and common carp (CC, Cyprinus carpio) are underutilized freshwater fish. The objective of this study was to elucidate the gel-forming ability of mince and washed mince from these species in relation to washing cycles and CaCl₂ addition. Protein loss of up to 67% was observed after three-washing cycles of both species, rendering relatively low yield. About 85–90% of total fat was removed from SC flesh after three-washing cycles, but only two-washing cycles were sufficient for fat removal in CC mince. Mince and washed mince of both species did not exhibit severe proteolysis with low autolytic activity at 65°C. SC exhibited superior gel-forming ability to CC. Two- and three-washing cycles in conjunction with a 40°C-preincubation resulted in the highest textural properties of SC and CC, respectively. CaCl₂ increased the breaking force of CC and SC mince gels up to 65 and 95% at 0.3 and 0.5% CaCl₂, respectively, as compared to without CaCl₂. However, it showed negative effects on surimi gels of both species. Both SC and CC are potential freshwater fish resources for mince and washed mince production with reasonable good gel-forming ability.     

Diversification of shrimp products in the Japanese and US markets during the 1990s

Abstract

During the 1990s the major producers of farmed shrimp in the world included countries such as Thailand, Ecuador, Indonesia, China and India. These countries exported shrimp products in frozen form. The major importers were Japan, the United States and European Union countries. This study reports changes in the trend of exported shrimp products of 10 countries by using the ‘revealed comparative advantage’ method. The selected producers were 10 shrimp exporters to the Japanese and US markets. The results of the study showed that there was a gradual increase in the export quantity of shrimp‐exporting countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and China. These countries have developed processing technology with the advantage of low production costs, as well as abundant and inexpensive labour.     

An adsorption study of alum-morin dyeing onto silk yarn

Silk yarn was dyed with morin (2′,3,4′,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) by using alum as mordant. In order to optimize the process, three methods of dyeing involving: pre-mordanting, simultaneous mordanting, and post-mordanting were assessed and compared with a mordant-free process. The adsorption of alum-morin dye onto silk fibers indicated that the adsorption capacities were significantly affected by pH, the initial dye concentration, and temperature. The initial dye adsorption rates of alum-morin dye on silk before equilibrium was reached increased with higher dyeing temperatures. The pseudo second-order kinetic model was indicated for alum-morin dyeing (simultaneous mordanting) of silk at pH 4.0 with an activation energy (E _a ) of 45.26 kJ/mol. The value of the enthalpy of activation (ΔH ^#) for alum-morin dyeing on silk at pH 4.0 was −31.29 kJ/mol. Also, the free energy (ΔG ^o) and entropy changes (ΔS ^o) for alum-morin dyeing on silk were −17.73 kJ/mol and −45.7 J/molK, respectively, consistent with a spontaneous and exothermic adsorption process.     

Equilibrium and kinetic modeling of the adsorption of indigo carmine onto silk

Quantitative adsorption kinetic and equilibrium parameters for indigo carmine dyeing of silk were studied using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The effect of initial dye concentration, contact time, pH, material to liquor ratio (MLR), and temperature were determined to find the optimal conditions for adsorption. The mechanism of adsorption of indigo carmine dyeing onto silk was investigated using the pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order kinetic models. The adsorption kinetics was found to follow a pseudo-second-order kinetic model with an activation energy (E _a) of 51.06 kJ/mol. The equilibrium adsorption data of indigo carmine dye on silk were analyzed by the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The results indicate that the Langmuir model provides the best correlation. Adsorption isotherms were also used to obtain thermodynamic parameters such as free energy (ΔG ^o), enthalpy (ΔH ^o), and entropy (ΔS ^o) of adsorption. The negative values of ΔG ^o and Δ^{H o} indicate the overall adsorption process is a spontaneous and exothermic one.