Application of Emerging Technologies for Processing of Fish Waste and By-Products

The seafood industry is the most complex of all food industries across the world, mainly based on fish and shellfish, which are a unique source of nutrients. A wide range of processing technologies has been employed to obtain premium quality and meet the requirements of consumers. In addition, novel product development and innovative or emerging processing can be intensively implemented to increase the yield, and eating quality and to ensure the safety of seafood. However, 35% of the total fish catch in fisheries and aquaculture is referred to as fish waste and by-products, which can be turned into several value-added marketable products. Discards including non-target species, and fish processing waste from the world's fisheries surpass 20 million tons per year, accounting for 25% of total fish catch production. The by-products represent a significant potential source of bioactive compounds with nutraceutical properties that can be isolated and can be readily used as functional ingredients. The valorization of fish waste and by-products is gaining significant attention besides being used as fodder or thrown away as waste. The role of technologies in the seafood processing sector has evolved swiftly over the past decade for increased productivity, waste reduction, augmented recovery, and utilization, increased shelf-life, and improved food safety, thus facilitating exports. A number of innovative processing technologies have recently emerged. The fishery waste and bycatch have normally been utilized for fish meal production, nonetheless apart from fish meal there are copious numbers of products with high bioactivities that can be isolated by employing sustainable emerging technologies like Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE), Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE), Microwave-Assisted extraction (MAE), Membrane Technology, Nanotechnology, High Pressure Processing, Pulsed Electric Field and Cold plasma, etc. Therefore, this chapter will deal in detail with the emerging technologies that can be employed in fish waste and by-products valorization.