Trash to Treasure: An Up-to-Date Understanding of the Valorization of Seafood By-Products, Targeting the Major Bioactive Compounds

What if the fish parts we throw away could fight cancer, diabetes, and inflammation? Turns out, the seafood industry's trash is a treasure trove of bioactive compounds.

The global appetite for fish is booming, but the industry's by-products—heads, skins, and guts—are piling up as an economic and environmental burden. Yet, hidden within this 'waste' are valuable bioactive molecules: lipids, proteins, peptides, vitamins, collagen, chitin, and even fucoidan. These aren't just leftovers; they're potential functional food ingredients and raw materials for agriculture, medicine, and pharmaceuticals.

This review dives into the best techniques to extract these treasures, from proteins and fatty acids to enzymes and carotenoids. The goal? To unlock the full potential of fishery discards. Marine-derived compounds boast antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities, making them highly sought after in food and cosmetics.

But the scientific community still hasn't fully mapped how to best use these postharvest materials for human benefit. This study aims to close that gap, highlighting the environmental cost of misuse and advocating for complete valorization. It's a call to turn a growing problem into a sustainable solution—one fish scale at a time.

Key Points

• Fishery by-products are rich in bioactive compounds.
• Extraction techniques unlock proteins, lipids, collagen, and more.
• Valorization reduces environmental impact and creates value.