Scientists at Ege University developed a "halal" food casing for use in the food and cosmetics industries. Endorsed by state-run Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBİTAK), the fish scale casing with a 96 percent protein rate aims to cater to the growing global halal market.

Muslims, whose religion forbids the consumption of pork or any product with traces of pork, often complain about the lack of halal food casings in sausage, salami and other products in the market. Associate Professor Tolga Dinçer, who headed the team who developed the halal casing says although it costs higher than casings made of pork, it is of high quality.

Dinçer says scales of bass and bream can be used in the production of casings, noting that Turkey had a capacity of extracting 4,250 tons of scales that can be used for production of 1,276 tons of casings. "It has a shelf life of five years and can be used not just in the food industry but also in cosmetics and medicines," he says.