Sustainable Fish Waste and By-products Valorisation

 
Work flow
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Green Cascade Valorisation

Green Cascade Valorisation refers to a sustainable process designed to maximise the value of waste and by-products through a stepwise, sequential approach. This method systematically processes waste materials across multiple stages, each focused on extracting valuable components or converting them into useful products, all while minimising waste and reducing environmental impact.

In VALORISH, the green cascade approach consists on the development of a biorefinery to valorise the fish waste and by-products. Several stages of the VALORISH green cascade valorisation include the extraction of the oil using emerging techniques, protein hydrolysis via proteolytic fermentation, microbial fermentation, side-streams processing by extraction and calcination of fishbones, and fermentation biomass residuals by anaerobic digestion to obtain several high value products.

Innovative Technologies

 
Fermentation tank
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Fish Protein Fermentative Hydrolysis

Protein hydrolysis is typically performed using chemical or enzymatic methods, which may involve strong chemicals that can generate hazardous waste and might be energy and cost intensive. At VALORISH, we aim to use proteolytic fermentation to process waste and by-products from the fishing industry into bioactive fish protein hydrolysates (FPH). This method is a low-energy, safe, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective alternative for achieving protein hydrolysis. Compared to commercial enzymes, fermentation can enhance the functionality and sensory qualities of the final product, broadening its potential applications.

Oil
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Green Fish Oil Extraction

Fish oil is typically extracted by cooking fish side streams or by-products to release the oil, followed by mechanical pressing and centrifugation. This traditional process is energy-intensive and can often degrade the oil quality. At VALORISH, we employ advanced methods to extract oil from waste and by-products in the fishing industry, ensuring higher quality and sustainability:

Droplet

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (scCO2) Extraction

A versatile, efficient, and environmentally friendly technique used for extracting high-value compounds from natural sources.

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Subcritical Solvent Extraction (SSE)

An advanced method that uses solvents under subcritical conditions—temperatures and pressures below their critical point—to optimize extraction efficiency.

App indicator

Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) Extraction

An eco-friendly, low-toxicity approach that provides a sustainable alternative of eutectic solvents for extracting bioactive compounds, suitable for the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.

Data science
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Computational Tools

Computational tools are software programs or systems designed to perform complex calculations, data analysis, simulations, and problem-solving tasks. In VALORISH, computational tools are used to assist the design of VALORISH bioprocesses. In particular, computational tools will be used for:

  • Selection of new candidate enzyme-producing bacteria for fermentative hydrolysis.
  • Screening the microbial metabolic capacity of bacteria for the production of high-value bioproducts.
  • Modeling, optimisation and integration of the VALORISH core processes.

Bioproducts

 

In the VALORISH project, a diverse portfolio of bioproducts will be obtained, with downstream processes developed to separate, purify, and enhance their properties. All bioproducts will undergo comprehensive analysis to ensure compliance with EU regulations, focusing on chemical, nutritional, bioactive, and safety properties.