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MARINFORSKFISK-Marine ressurser og miljø - fiskeri

Sustainable production of ingredients from whitefish rest raw materials

Alternative title: Bærekraftig produksjon av ingredienser fra restråstoff fra hvitfisk

Awarded: NOK 10.0 mill.

The Norwegian fisheries industry produces around 300 000 tons of whitefish rest raw materials (RRM) each year. Marine RRM is a high value raw material rich in proteins, lipids and other important components (calcium, phosphorus, etc.) and can be used to produce ingredients for food and feed. I Norway, 85 % of the RRM is utilized. However, for the deep-sea fishing vessels the degree of resource utilization was only 24 % in 2020. This results in a significant loss in potential value creation from already harvested resources. The primary objective of SUPREME is to increase the resource utilization and value creation from processing of whitefish RRM from the Norwegian deep-sea fishing vessels into valuable ingredients. The research and innovation of SUPREME includes concepts for optimal handling and preservation of RRM (WP2), development of efficient logistics approaches (WP1), and technologies for bioprocessing and RRM valorisation (WP3). In addition, pilot and industrial demonstrations of developed and optimized technologies will be carried out (WP4). The project has worked with different types of RRM like heads, backbones, viscera, bones, and skin from whitefish like cod and saithe. The RRM had variable freshness (fresh, cold storage, freezing) and were exposed to different preservation technologies like freezing, salting and acid preservation (low pH). Further, processing like silage, thermic treatments and enzymatic- or acid hydrolysis was utilized for production of oil, protein hydrolysates, gelatine, or collagen. The end products were further tested for use in microencapsulation of marine oils, and sensory evaluation of protein hydrolysates indicated that they can be used for production of marine proteins with a mild fish odor and fish flavor. In the project, SINTEF together with NTNU, have performed silage of saithe viscera to investigate how storage influenced the quality and yield. Results from the research can help with optimalization of on-board silage and increase the quality. Further, the researchers have worked with extraction of gelatine and collagen from cod bones, and gelatin from cod heads and backbones. Additionally, SINTEF have performed enzymatic hydrolysis of cod heads caught with different fishing gear (trawl, line, gillnet) to investigate if fishing gear influenced the quality of protein hydrolysates after processing by enzymatic hydrolysis. The results showed that it was the freshness of the RRM, and not the fishing gear that had the greatest impact on the quality of the end product. As part of the SUPREME project, a cruise on board a commercial vessel was conducted. There researchers from SINTEF and NTNU were able to test different processing technology relevant for on board processing of fresh RRM in an industry setting. Our Icelandic partner, Matis, led the work on mapping and logistic management of whitefish RRM. They identified potential alternatives for improved utilization, and provided benchmarking with the Icelandic seafood industry and presented case studies where concreate examples for improvements were shown. Further their work included a Supply Chain Network analysis providing recommendations for improved logistics to increase utilisation of RRM from the Norwegian deep-sea fishing vessels. By the end of 2023, the SUPREME project delivered research that has resulted in 5 scientific posters, 6 news items, 1 podcast episode, 26 presentations, 2 scientific reports and 6 scientific papers. Additionally, the project has contributed towards the education of 3 bachelor, and 5 master students.

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The Norwegian fisheries industry produces around 340 000 tons of whitefish rest raw materials (RRM) each year. Marine RRM is a high value raw material rich in proteins, lipids and other important components (calcium, phosphorus, etc.) and can be used to produce ingredients for food and feed. However, in 2016 approximately 174 000 tons of whitefish RRM was discarded and not utilized, resulting in a significant loss in potential value creation from already harvested resources. The primary objective of SUPREME is to increase the resource utilization and value creation from processing of whitefish rest raw materials (RRM) from the Norwegian seagoing fleet into valuable ingredients. The results will provide the Norwegian industry with new market opportunities that would allow them to increase their market share and profitability. SUPREME will have a significant positive environmental impact by reducing the loss of RRM which are currently discarded. The research and innovation of SUPREME includes concepts for optimal handling and preservation of RRM (WP2), development of efficient logistics approaches (WP1), and technologies for bioprocessing and RRM valorisation (WP3). The concepts and methods developed will be demonstrated in selected pilot cases. SUPREME is focused along the strategic goals of the Norwegian government as well as the European Commission on increasing the resource utilization in food supply chains. The consortium consisting of leading research partners and an industry arena is expected to produce high-quality scientific results that will provide increased knowledge and utilization of RRM.

Publications from Cristin

Funding scheme:

MARINFORSKFISK-Marine ressurser og miljø - fiskeri

Funding Sources