The fishing sector activities are responsible for generating a big number of side-streams which are often discarded or used as low-value ingredients in animal feed. Nowadays, the increasingly awareness of consumers about health and diet has led to new studies on how to optimize valorization of these marine side-streams into high quality bioactive compounds and use them in higher end markets, such as nutraceutical and cosmetics. As a result, it is very important to select the most efficient extraction methods for each bioactive ingredient in order to obtain bioactive compounds with good, functional, and acceptable organoleptic properties. In this regard, a recent review article has comprehensively discussed the principles and the potential benefits of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) as emerging green technologies to valorize marine side-streams.

The application of UAE and SFE for the separation of high-added value bioactive ingredients offer great advantages in comparison to the traditional methods. These advantages include; maintaining and enhancing the quality of the extracted bioactive ingredients, improving extraction efficiency, as well as minimizing functional properties’ losses of the extracted bioactive ingredients. Furthermore, the use of such alternative innovative technologies to obtain high value bioactive compounds, gives a new possibility to use them as ingredients in novel foods. For these reasons, AQUABIOPRO-FIT project explores in-depth, at both lab- and pilot-scale, the potential application and benefits of UAE and SFE to extract high-value bioactive ingredients from marine side-streams. The challenges associated with taste, bioactivity, safety and consumer acceptance will be addressed before ensuring that the products are high-quality and market ready.

Read more about the principles and the benefits of applying UAE and SFE as emerging green technologies for the valorization of seafood and their side-streams in the review article from AQUABIOPRO-FIT partners: Universitat de Valencia, Centro Tecnologico de la Carne de Galicia, and Nofima

Coming from article: Innovative Green Technologies of Intensification for Valorization of Seafood and Their By-Products. 2019.