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12 Collagen
but rather align the production rate with the waste generated from a sustainable level
of fishing. The process of extraction should also not impact adversely on the aquatic
environment within which these resources exist.
The main competition for collagen production is the fishmeal production. The
fish wastes are also used for the production of fishmeal which is high in protein
and minerals. Since in the wild, the big fishes tend to fish on other little fishes (as
well as other aquatic organisms such as planktons), these fish by-products are ideal
sources for fish meal. It is also particularly important that the waste is returning into
the food cycle to further ensure continuous production of fish. However, fishmeal
production has since been on a general decline since 1994 when global fishmeal
production was at an all time high of 30 million tonnes. Of the 171 million tonnes of
fish produced in 2016, 91 million tonnes are captured from natural stock while the
rest are farmed in aquaculture (FAO 2018). This implies a demand for fishmeal for
aquaculture is relatively high. On the other hand, collagen has a broader market which
spans pharmaceuticals, food, biomedical and cosmetics. Other than fish meal, fish
skin, particularly of larger fish, is used for producing leather for a range of products
such as shoes, bags, garments and furniture.
As of 2016, China was the world’s highest producer of fish, followed by Norway,
Vietnam and Thailand. Much of these fish are being exported to Europe or the USA
as they are the greatest consumers of fish (FAO 2018). Fresh whole fish is usually
the most preferred form of fish such that the fish moves down the distribution channel with very little processing or removal of any part of it. Much of the cost goes
into transportation and preservation. This means that much of the fish waste is not
generated until the point of consumption when the fish is cut and cooked. Therefore,
although China is the biggest producer of fish, it might not necessarily be the region
where fish waste for collagen production is highest. The countries where the fish is
being cooked will therefore be more likely generators of fish waste.
Collagen is also sourced from other aquatic animals such as the jellyfish (Cheng
et al. 2017), squids (Dai et al. 2018) and sea cucumbers (Liu et al. 2019), and these are
captured in lower quantities from natural stock and hardly farmed. They are recorded
as other sea animals make up about 938,500 tonnes annually as of 2016. However,
recent giant jellyfish blooms mean there is an increasing amount of these aquatic
nuisances to be utilized.
12.5 Extraction of Collagen
There are various methods which exist for the extraction of collagen from different
sources. A single source of collagen might have more than one method of extraction
of the collagen. Here, we review some of the existing extraction methods for some
specified sources. Some of these methods lead to the production of collagen peptides
as the process of extraction results in the breakdown of the collagen triple helix
structure. This could be desirable where the end goal is to obtain peptides since the
two steps of extraction and formation of polypeptide are achieved in one process.
12 Collagen
but rather align the production rate with the waste generated from a sustainable level
of fishing. The process of extraction should also not impact adversely on the aquatic
environment within which these resources exist.
The main competition for collagen production is the fishmeal production. The
fish wastes are also used for the production of fishmeal which is high in protein
and minerals. Since in the wild, the big fishes tend to fish on other little fishes (as
well as other aquatic organisms such as planktons), these fish by-products are ideal
sources for fish meal. It is also particularly important that the waste is returning into
the food cycle to further ensure continuous production of fish. However, fishmeal
production has since been on a general decline since 1994 when global fishmeal
production was at an all time high of 30 million tonnes. Of the 171 million tonnes of
fish produced in 2016, 91 million tonnes are captured from natural stock while the
rest are farmed in aquaculture (FAO 2018). This implies a demand for fishmeal for
aquaculture is relatively high. On the other hand, collagen has a broader market which
spans pharmaceuticals, food, biomedical and cosmetics. Other than fish meal, fish
skin, particularly of larger fish, is used for producing leather for a range of products
such as shoes, bags, garments and furniture.
As of 2016, China was the world’s highest producer of fish, followed by Norway,
Vietnam and Thailand. Much of these fish are being exported to Europe or the USA
as they are the greatest consumers of fish (FAO 2018). Fresh whole fish is usually
the most preferred form of fish such that the fish moves down the distribution channel with very little processing or removal of any part of it. Much of the cost goes
into transportation and preservation. This means that much of the fish waste is not
generated until the point of consumption when the fish is cut and cooked. Therefore,
although China is the biggest producer of fish, it might not necessarily be the region
where fish waste for collagen production is highest. The countries where the fish is
being cooked will therefore be more likely generators of fish waste.
Collagen is also sourced from other aquatic animals such as the jellyfish (Cheng
et al. 2017), squids (Dai et al. 2018) and sea cucumbers (Liu et al. 2019), and these are
captured in lower quantities from natural stock and hardly farmed. They are recorded
as other sea animals make up about 938,500 tonnes annually as of 2016. However,
recent giant jellyfish blooms mean there is an increasing amount of these aquatic
nuisances to be utilized.
12.5 Extraction of Collagen
There are various methods which exist for the extraction of collagen from different
sources. A single source of collagen might have more than one method of extraction
of the collagen. Here, we review some of the existing extraction methods for some
specified sources. Some of these methods lead to the production of collagen peptides
as the process of extraction results in the breakdown of the collagen triple helix
structure. This could be desirable where the end goal is to obtain peptides since the
two steps of extraction and formation of polypeptide are achieved in one process.