TITLE:
Circular Εconomy Applications: The Sustainable Utilisation of Fish By-Products for Seafood Production and Its Impact on Human Health
AUTHORS:
Ioannis Fotodimas, Kosmas L. Vidalis, Panagiotis Logothetis, Grigorios Kanlis
KEYWORDS:
Fish By-Product, FPH, Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Fish Feed, Human Health Effects, Sustainable Aquaculture, Circular Economy
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.16 No.8,
August
21,
2025
ABSTRACT: Seafood is an important part of a balanced diet, and the demand for fishery and aquaculture products has increased significantly in recent years, leading to considerable development in aquaculture and fish processing generates large quantities of by-products such as heads, skin, viscera, and bones, which account for around 60% of the total biomass. Despite their high protein value, a large proportion of these waste are disposed of into the environment, leading to eutrophication and degradation of aquatic ecosystems. This threatens marine biodiversity and the sustainability of the fishing and aquaculture industry. Enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) has established itself as an efficient and environmentally friendly method for valorising these by-products. This process produces fish protein hydrolysates (FPH), which are rich in bioactive peptides (BAPs) and free amino acids and have antioxidant, antimicrobial and immune-boosting properties. FPH are used in aquaculture fish feed, functional foods, and pharmaceutical products. Their inclusion in the feed of farmed fish improves growth and health while reducing dependence on fishmeal, the availability of which is decreasing due to declining fish stocks. In addition, fish fed with FPH-enriched feed provide compounds that are beneficial to human health. Regular consumption of such fish may contribute, as observed in in vitro studies, to the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer, while improving digestive and immune function as observed in laboratory studies. This review highlights the sustainable and environmentally friendly use of EH to extract bioactive compounds from fish by-products. It analyzes pre-treatment methods and the applications of the resulting FPH as an alternative to fishmeal, with the aim of increasing aquaculture productivity and promoting human health.