Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 7, 2011
Publication Date: N/A
Technical Abstract:
The Alaska fisheries industries bring in large amounts of fish each year and much of the fish mass is lost during processing as byproduct. The goal of our research is to understand the physical and chemical properties of these byproducts in order to better utilize this limited resource. Recent projects examined pollock and salmon fish heads in order to potentially add value to these underutilized byproducts. We dissected fish heads and analyzed each part for its chemical composition and also examined the amount of chondroitin sulfate that could be extracted from head tissues.
Whole heads were dissected into four distinct parts (gills, brain case, cheeks and others) and were analyzed for protein, minerals, and fat content and also the amino acid, mineral and fatty acid profiles were determined. Dried whole salmon heads had 51.0% fat and 35.4% protein. Gills had the highest mineral content. The fatty acid profile showed that all parts had an omega-3/omega-6 ratio >7.5. The brain and braincase contain the highest fat percentage; however the fatty acid profile was not markedly different from the other head parts and all head parts contained high percentages of omega-3's.
Two separate analytical techniques were employed to determine the chondroitin sulfate content in fish byproducts. Analysis by HPLC provided a profile of the major forms of the different chondroitin sulfate, which vary with species and tissue origin. This study indicates that certain fisheries byproducts contain levels of chondroitin sulfate that may warrant commercial extraction.
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