Turning marine waste into opportunity: UM's contribution with Waste2Taste

The University of Malta is playing an important role in the three-year Waste2Taste project (1 May 2024 – 30 April 2027), a cutting-edge initiative funded under the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP) and managed locally by Xjenza Malta, Malta’s national agency for research, within the Parliamentary Secretariat for Youth, Research and Innovation.

Why it matters
Many marine resources currently go unused such as by-catch species, processing remnants (like skins, bones, fins, heads, tails), and non-indigenous invasive species (NIS) all representing ecological threats. Waste2Taste is changing this by embracing the principles of the circular blue economy: turning “waste” or “problem” biomass into opportunities for innovation, economic growth and environmental benefit.

What is being explored
A central pillar of the project is the recovery and valorisation of marine biomass rich in proteins and bioactive compounds. Among the target materials are:

By-products from fish processing and aquaculture: for example, skins, scales, bones, mucus, fins, tails and offal of farmed fish and capture-based fisheries.
Invasive alien species (NIS) that are currently posing management challenges in the Mediterranean.

Focus on invasive species and resource recovery
One of the innovative aspects of Waste2Taste is its emphasis on using invasive marine species as potential feedstocks for sustainable product development.

For example, the project framework is exploring the use of species such as the jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda, the blue-swimmer crab Portunus seg¬nis, rabbitfish Siganus luridus, and bluespotted cornet fish Fistularia commersonii. By valorising these species, the project delivers dual benefits: removing ecological threats while creating value.

Product development: biomaterials from the sea
Waste2Taste is developing new green extraction processes aimed at obtaining:

Collagen
Chitin/chitosan
High-quality fish oils
Bioactive hydrolysates

These biomolecules are being targeted for functional food applications (e.g., addressing joint health, gut health, muscle performance, obesity) and for industrial protocols that minimise hazardous reagents, reduce energy use, and scale from lab-bench to industrial readiness.

Malta’s contribution
Among all the partners involved, the University of Malta (through the Oceanography Malta Research Group [OMRG] of the Department of Geosciences and the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry) is actively engaging within two key work-packages: raw material collection (WP2) and circular economy in practice (WP3), as well as dissemination and communication (WP7).

Locally, sampling activities are underway on invasive species found in Maltese waters (such as fish and crabs) as well as processing waste from industries including the bluefin tuna sector. Prof. Alan Deidun acts as the Principal Investigator on the project, whilst Prof. Marion Zammit Mangion, Prof. Adam Gauci, Mr Alessio Marrone and Mr Neil Cutajar are also actively involved in the project, which will run till the 30 April 2027.

Future developments
With the right processes in place, Waste2Taste aims to move quickly from proof-of-concept to a first commercial product within three years of project completion. The hope is to deliver real-world circular economy outcomes: reducing marine waste, mitigating ecological risks, and providing novel, market-ready functional ingredients. A final event (2027) will be organised in Malta gathering all partners and stakeholders from the industries to showcase the achievements of the project and attracting future investors.

[Photo descriptions, from left to right: (1) Collagen extraction (2) Tuna Oil Separation (3) Cassiopea Jellyfish Extraction]