The objective within the area of utilisation of by-products is to contribute to total raw material utilisation from fisheries and aquaculture by using biotechnological methods and unique biochemical products.
Priority will be given to the use of by-product fractions for developing products for feed (fish or domestic animals), human consumption (functional food/nutraceuticals) and hi-tech applications (pharmaceutical, cosmetics and diagnostics).
Marine by-products have some common issues relating to quality (freshness/raw material quality), high proportion of indigestible components (ash, chitin and fibre) and the existence of heavy metals/environmental toxins, which means particular focus must be placed on developing suitable methods for processing and quality assurance if they shall be adapted for commercial use.
Some types of marine by-products can have special attractant properties (shrimps, crabs) or are suitable for extraction of niche products (enzymes, minerals (Ca) etc) and can be of particular interest to study more closely.
The majority of by-products that are not sold in a fresh condition are currently used for silage.
The market for commercially processed raw silage is in feed for traditional domesticated animals (red fish) and in feed for salmon and trout (white fish/pelagic fish) in the form of fish protein concentrate and silage oil.
Nofima Ingrediens has raw material and processing technology to produce this type of product on a pilot scale, and also has competence regarding planning, product development, market, patenting, legal requirements and risk assessment as well as facilities for biological testing.
Relevant issues
- Raw material quality and quality criteria
- Handling of antinutritional components (Ca, ash, fibre, chitin etc)
- Processing technology for the production of high-quality ingredients
- Biological testing in fish and mammals
