St. Petersburg scientists converting herring skin to omega-3 and collagen

The method developed by the scientists of St. Petersburg University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO) will allow converting waste obtained during the production of herring fillets into omega-3 and collagen. These substances can be used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, reports Megafishnet.com.

According to St. Petersburg’s government, to extract the useful substances from the herring skin, the scientists placed it in a container with special solutions obtained by an electrochemical method. Then they heated the contents, constantly stirring it. After half an hour, the skin completely dissolves, turning into a broth, which after a series of technological processes is divided into fish oil and collagen.

"After our processing, we obtained 22-25% of pure fish oil, a third of which consists of especially valuable Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids. The rest is a useful protein, collagen. In other words, we managed to achieve 100% waste - free production," says Elena Kuprina, Professor of the Department of Biotechnology at ITMO University.

In the production of herring fillets, 60 to 100 grams of separated skin can be collected per kilo of packaged product. Sometimes manufacturers manage to sell it for a song, but this only partially solves the problem of waste disposal. The new technology will more drastically improve the use of the raw material and reduce possible environmental damage.