The seafood industry currently uses only 30 to 40 percent of what it harvests for human consumption and discards a large amount of edible raw materials during processing. The discarded materials contain substantial nutritional content that can provide essential nutrients for humans, including high-quality protein. However, it is currently unclear how nutritious this protein is compared with other protein supplements such as whey. There is also little research on how to maximize protein extraction from byproducts while preserving the protein’s nutritional value. In addition, any products derived from seafood byproducts would also need to overcome possible resistance from consumers.
Researchers at OSU, led by Dr. Jung Kwon, are quantifying the nutritional value of seafood byproducts and developing dietary products that will be attractive to consumers. The first step in this process is optimizing the process of extracting protein from the byproducts. Once an efficient technique is in place, the researchers will assess the proteins’ nutritional content as compared to other protein supplements, and how the seafood protein interacts with human health. The team will then develop prototype food products and supplements from the protein that will be assessed through consumer panels. Finally, the researchers will conduct research and outreach to determine market demand and increase consumer interest in these products.