Enzymes from fish processing waste materials and their commercial applications

Enzyme technology is an indispensable part of today's industrial processes and, hence, the global market for industrial enzymes continues to expand. The manufacturing of enzymes has become the cash cow of many businesses. However, the use of enzymes for industrial processes adds considerable cost to the final product. Further, several drawbacks associated with conventional enzymes have increased the need for alternatives with competitive advantages. Marine enzymes with habitat-related unique physicochemical characteristics seem ideal candidates and fish processing leftovers have been recognized as a cheap and promising source for unique marine enzymes. In this chapter, fish processing leftover-derived enzymes and their potential applications are discussed

Nutritional and additive uses of chitin and chitosan in the food industry

Chitin is the first polysaccharide identified by man. Chitin and its numerous oligomeric and monomeric, acetylated or deacetylated derivates have many physiological functions and applications. Chitin is found in the cuticles of arthropods and is a major constituent of cell walls from fungal, yeast and algae, from where chitin can be extracted chemically, enzymatically or by fermentation. The principal sources of chitin and chitosan are actually crustacean shells. Worldwide, more than 13.000.000 tons of crustaceans are caught from marine habitats each year, thus generating huge amounts of food waste. The unique biodegradability, biorenewability, biocompatibility, physiological inertness and hydrophilicity of chitin and chitosan make them of high interest for research and industry. In this chapter, we review the use of chitin, chitosan and their oligomers and monomers as food additives. In particular, their use in the regulation of lipid digestion and hypocholesterolemia, their functioning as an antigastritic agent and prebiotic is highlighted. Literature shows that oligomerization and the degree of deacetylation influences the development of chitin/chitosan-based nutraceuticals. The absence of chitinases and chitosanases in the human gut renders those biopolymers resistant to even partial degradation. For food applications, they are used as emulsifying, fining, thickening and stabilizing agents, antioxidants, and low calories food mimetics