Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is toxic organic compounds that accumulate in living organisms.
High levels of POPs are found in several fish species caught in North European waters and hence in fishmeal and fish oil produced from industrial fish and by-products.
POPs in fish originate from the intake of feed. Fishmeal and fish oils are the main source of these substances in formulated fish feed.
POPs relevant for human health include dioxins, PCB, flame retardands and pesticides.
New regulations
The European Union has introduced new regulations on the maximum permitted levels in foods and feeds.
Only a minor part of the North European fishmeal and fish oil production has a level of POPs exceeding these limits. However, the need for decontamination of parcels will increase processing costs and weaken the producers' competitivness.
Nofima Ingrediens is working on development and optimisation of cost-effective industrial processes for removal of POPs in fishmeal and fish oils.
The processes are based on unit operations such as adsorption, extraction and molecular distillation, and can also be applied in the food and health food industries.
Relevant issues
- Levels in industrial fish and alternative raw materials
- Process mass balances and distribution
- Optimisation of processes to remove POPs
- The effect of the process on product quality
- Up-scaling and integration in existing production lines
- Production costs
