Fish consumption is a wasteful business, especially where large fish species, notably bluefin tuna and swordfish, are involved. In fact, heads, tails and fins, as well as the offal (entrails such as internal organs) of farmed bluefin tuna individuals are regularly discarded in open waters, to the tune of thousands of tons each year. The fish waste stream arising through the trade of fish hawkers and markets as well as within households has yet to be characterised but is expected to consist of a mixed bag of discarded fish bones and skin, mainly, originating from several different consumed fish species.
This apparent ‘waste’ jars with the tenets of the circular economy that preach the re-use of resources so as to curb our dependence on raw materials. One should also not discount the environmental impacts exerted on marine ecosystems through the ongoing practice of disposing of bluefin tuna discards directly into the sea.
Through the BYTHOS project, an Interreg Italia-Malta project involving three Maltese partners (the University of Malta, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and the SME Aquabiotech, with the latter being responsible for the extraction of fish feed, in pellet form, from fish waste for the aquaculture industry), along with three Sicilian partners, the real value of such fish ‘waste’ has recently been demonstrated at the final project dissemination event held earlier this week on campus.
The event, which was attended by Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli, was opened by Prof. Alan Deidun, resident academic at the Department of Geosciences and Principal Investigator (PI) on the project for the University, and by Rector Prof. Alfred J Vella.
The opening addresses were then followed by a demonstration of the laboratory extraction processes conducted within the project by Dr Marion Zammit Mangion, another resident academic actively involved in the project, within the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, as well as by Mr Neil Cutajar, an external expert engaged on the project. Dr Frederick Lia was another component of Dr Zammit Mangion’s team actively engaged on the project.
Prof. Deidun unscored the consistency of the BYTHOS project with the Blue Growth Strategy and with the realm of blue biotechnology, with the latter being one of the fastest-growing industries in the planet at the moment. Prof. Vella remarked that the BYTHOS project represented a prime example of fruitful collaboration between two separate University of Malta Faculties and Departments whilst Minister Dalli pledged Malta Enterprise’s support in cementing and forging possible synergisms between the academic, research, industrial and business communities.
A number of Biologically Active Molecules (BAMs), notably collagen and fish oils, have been extracted from discarded bluefin tuna components within University of Malta labs through the BYTHOS project. Fish oils include a number of OMEGA-3 oils, polyunsaturated fatty acids such as DPA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), which are marketed as popular nutritional supplements by virtue of their beneficial action on heart health.
Collagen is a protein naturally found in the human body, and is an integral component of connective tissue in skin, bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons. Collagen can thus enhance skin strength and elasticity, serving as an anti-wrinkle agent for skin. Collagen is applied in many skin-care products to treat dry/damaged skin by addressing flaking and restoring suppleness. Collagen is used in face masks, face creams, serums, and several other skin-care products. Collagen is also added to beauty drinks aimed to enhance skin and nail quality. The waste factor from fish-handling industries can be further minimised through the production of fish feed in pellet form for the aquaculture industry from the same waste, a milestone which has been achieved within the BYTHOS project by the Aquabiotech team.
It is now augured that the results of the BYTHOS project will lead to a shift in mindset, specifically at the way we perceive discards from the fishing and aquaculture industry, and that investments will be forthcoming so as to upscale the extraction processes showcased at the laboratory level to commercial ones. The local Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture is in fact developing the ‘BYTHOS Lab’ within its premises, where the BYTHOS processes can be showcased to potential investors, a concept that is being emulated on the Aeolian island of Lipari, which is also a partner on the project.
The fish waste regeneration narrative as played out within the BYTHOS project has been condensed in the form of an appealing animation clip:
Further information on the BYTHOS project can be gleaned through the website.