VALORISH · Green VALORisation cascade approach of fISH waste and by-products through fermentation towards a zero-waste future

VALORISH is a 42-month action that aims to develop a computationally-assisted methodology for the design and implementation of a biorefinery with a cascade approach to valorise waste and by-products from the fishing industry at TRL 5. The target portfolio of products will be fish oil, fish protein hydrolysates, bacteriocins, pigments, vitamins, collagen and calcium-rich powder, targeting food products, additives, supplements and nutraceuticals. The cascade conversion processes will vary with the feedstock heterogeneity, comprising pre-treatment, oil green extraction, proteolytic fermentation (protein hydrolysis), fermentation with hydrolysates as substrate, and a portfolio of downstream processes. The proteolytic fermentation will be guided by computational biology, using models to search new candidate enzyme-producing bacteria. The fish protein hydrolysates obtained in the fermentation will be used, first, as food supplement due to their bioactive properties, and second, as substrate for supporting a second fermentation, to obtain high-value bioproducts, namely bacteriocins and astaxanthin, as food additives, and vitamin B12, as food supplement. Novel genome-scale metabolic models will be used to link substrate composition to the desired bioproducts via inspection of metabolic pathways and selecting optimal microorganisms. In a zero-waste aim, the fermentation side-streams will be valorised (bones by extraction and calcination, and residual biomass by anaerobic digestion). All the bioproducts will be analysed for chemical, nutritional, bioactive and safety properties to comply with EU regulation, and will be included in food/nutraceutical formulations and validated by end users. A mathematical model will be developed to simulate the biorefinery and to support the satisfactory scale-up of the core processes as well as the assessment methodologies (technoeconomic, environmental, standardisation). Social impact and acceptance of the products will be also assessed.