Professor Tanja Moerdijk from the Marine Biobased Chemistry research group recently visited Iceland with the consortium behind the research project 'The Best of the Best'. In this project, knowledge institutions, including HZ University of Applied Sciences, are working with companies in the Dutch fishing industry to explore ways of using fish waste in products such as food, fashion, pharmaceuticals and pet food.
The project is co-funded by the SIA Taskforce and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. In Iceland, the consortium visited the Iceland Ocean Cluster in Reykjavík and attended the international IceFish conference to explore how the entire fish can be utilised.
In Iceland, people take a different approach to fish. The guiding principle is 100% Fish: from the outset, a fish is seen as a collection of different raw materials, each with its own properties and potential applications.
Collagen
Fish skin, for example, can be a source of collagen, while protein-rich parts can be processed into food ingredients. Internal organs contain natural enzymes, and interesting lipids can be extracted from fat fractions. Heads and bones can be processed into food products, but may also provide raw materials for other applications.
Processing fish into fishmeal is one option, but it generates little added value. The project therefore examines the technological and economic potential of each raw material: which application is best suited to its quality, composition, available quantity and market demand?
During the visit, the Dutch delegation met, among others, Icelandic President Halla Tómasdóttir (pictured in the centre, wearing a beige jacket). She emphasised the importance of collaboration and dialogue, saying that innovation emerges when people with different perspectives meet, share knowledge and dare to build something together.
A wealth of expertise
'The Best of the Best' project is highly relevant to Zeeland, where considerable knowledge and experience have been built up in fisheries, aquaculture, food technology and marine raw materials. By bringing together education, research and Zeeland-based businesses around raw material streams, new business cases can be developed that offer promising technological and economic opportunities.
In addition to HZ University of Applied Sciences, the project involves Aeres University of Applied Sciences, HAS green academy, Christelijke Hogeschool Ede and Wageningen University & Research.
