Sustainable fish and seafood production and processing
Fish protein concentrate (FPC) is any stable proteinous product in which the protein is more concentrated relative to the original fish and manufactured for human consumption (http://www.fao.org/3/x5917e01.htm). FPC may be produced from any fish species or fishery wastes. FPC is prepared from fish by separating out the oil, screening, settling the bones out, and then drying. The rest product (FPC) is richer in protein (approximately 80%) and lesser in ash content relative to FM. FPC is comparable to fish hydrolysate except that the water and oil have been eliminated. The particle size of the FPC is less than FM and more homogenous in texture and color. FPC is more expensive than the FM due to the processing costs associated with its production, so it is only produced for human consumption and for some applications, primarily in milk replacers. Since the oil content of FPC is low so the unpleasant fishy taste is much less.
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Enzymatic Digestion
There were always 2 types of fish protein concentrate—concentrate produced by the chemical process or by the biological process. The chemical process involves solvent extraction, while the biological process involves the enzymatic digestion of the raw fish either before or after deboning. The process is performed at temperatures much lower than the other processes so the protein and oil fractions are not exposed to high temperatures. When the process is terminated, the digest is separated into three fractions: undigested solids (mostly bones, scales and skin), the digest, and the lipid fraction. The digest is then dried to produce a functional powder. In the solvent extraction process the final powder, while it possesses nutritional components, has no functionality. The enzymatic digest possesses nutritional components and is functional. It can be blended into liquids or whipped to produce foams and emulsions.
Other technologies
Learn MoreMartin (1998) refers to the considerable work that has been conducted on the production of fish protein concentrates, fish protein hydrolysates, and fish silage, from seafood wastes, by-products, and species that are caught but have no market. Also, significant work has been done with minced fish (Regenstein, 1986). These products, some of them based on the liquefaction of seafood wastes by chemical or biological hydrolytic processes, have been developed with the aim of recovering valuable protein present in seafood biomass. Their intended use has been as ingredients in food or feeds, with the only probable exception being that of liquid fertilizer products. Given these objectives, it is obvious that the materials involved in the formulation of food products for humans and feed products such as pet food or feed for aquaculture operations should be of acceptable quality and sanitary standards (in the case of fishmeal, although it is mostly marketed as a feed component, the heat treatment involved in its production allows, in some cases, for the use of materials of lesser quality). Therefore, the previously mentioned technologies generally exclude the use of rotten, semi-decomposed, smelly fish offal and the like, as raw materials. These are the kind of materials more properly destined to composting, spreading on land, and landfilling operations.
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