OC2021 A-072- Unrestricted

Exploitation of ReValue
results

ReValue Project Deliverable 4.3

Author(s)
Maitri Thakur, SINTEF Ocean
Srikanta Routroy, BITS Pilani
MS Dasgupta, BITS Pilani
Rasa Slizyte, SINTEF Ocean
Emily Cowan, SINTEF Ocean
Nutan Kaushik, Amity University

SINTEF Ocean AS
2021-08-25
 Report
SINTEF Ocean AS
SINTEF Ocean AS
Address:
Postboks 4762 Torgarden
NO-7465 Trondheim
NORWAY
Switchboard: +47 46415000

ReValue Project Deliverable 4.3

Enterprise /VAT No:
NO 937 357 370 MVA

KEYWORDS: VERSION DATE

Market exploitation 3.0 2021-08-25
Surimi processing
Cold chain AUTHOR(S)
Food and feed use Maitri Thakur
India
Srikanta Routroy, BITS Pilani
MS Dasgupta, BITS Pilani
Rasa Slizyte, SINTEF Ocean
Emily Cowan, SINTEF Ocean
Nutan Kaushik, Amity University

CLIENT(S) CLIENT’S REF.

Research Council of Norway RCN 281262

PROJECT NO. NUMBER OF PAGES:

302002535 12

ABSTRACT
This report is a part of Deliverable 4.3 of Revalue project highlighting the exploitation
potential of the solutions developed in the project to reduce losses in the surimi supply
chain in India. ReValue solutions have the potential to achieve a huge market impact,
drastically increasing the Surimi industry profitability. The average value of fish used for
surimi will increase significantly if the Rest Raw Materials (RRM) can be utilized into food
and feed ingredients. In addition, ReValue solutions contribute to quality enhancement
through improvement in processes and in the cold chain, as well as the introduction of
functional ingredients derived from RRM that can be used as nutritional supplements.
Further exploitation should focus on the marketing of surimi derived products, increasing
consumer awareness for wider acceptance of surimi and derived products from India in
the European market.

PREPARED BY SIGNATURE
Maitri Thakur 25.08.2021

CHECKED BY SIGNATURE
Lacie Goff

APPROVED BY SIGNATURE
Maitri Thakur

REPORT NO. ISBN CLASSIFICATION CLASSIFICATION THIS PAGE

OC2021 A-072 978-82-7174-422-9 Unrestricted Unrestricted
Document history
VERSION DATE VERSION DESCRIPTION
1.0 2021-06-24 First draft sent to partners
2.0 2021-08-05 Draft sent for Quality Assurance
3.0 2021-08-20 Final draft sent for partners' approval

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Table of contents

1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................4

2 Key exploitable output of ReValue ...................................................................................................4

2.1 Climate-friendly refrigeration ........................................................................................................ 5
2.2 Solutions for an improved cold chain ............................................................................................ 5
2.3 Technological solution for processing fish RRM into production of high-quality ingredients ...... 7
2.4 Technological solution for processing fish RRM into production of high-quality ingredients ...... 8

3 Exploitation events...........................................................................................................................9

4 Potential impact and exploitation of results ................................................................................... 10

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1 Introduction

According to FAO, globally, fish losses amount to 160 million tonnes/year, out of which the surimi industry is
responsible for more than 3.5%. Surimi processing generates rest raw materials (RRM) including viscera, skin,
filleting frame, bone and wash water with potential to be used in preparation of valuable ingredients like
marine proteins and oil, protein hydrolysate, and gelatine. Surimi is a product that is highly dependent on
the cold chain because it deteriorates quickly if not chilled or frozen. A lack of proper handling of RRM can
also be witnessed as a shortcoming in the surimi sector, but if fish intended for surimi production is handled
and processed under good sanitary conditions, it results in human food-grade quality RRM, which can be
used for production of valuable marine oil and proteins. Currently, the surimi RRM in India are not considered
to be an important co-stream and are treated as a waste product from the sector. The ReValue project has
focused on developing solutions for this sector that will improve the resource-use efficiency and upgrade the
co-streams into value added products.

This report is a part of Deliverable 4.3 of the ReValue project highlighting the exploitation potential of the
solutions developed in the project to reduce losses in the surimi supply chain in India. The project focused
on the following key research and innovation areas:

1. Concepts for efficient supply chain logistics, cold chain management and climate friendly
refrigeration technologies for optimal handling and storage of the fish resources and rest raw
materials (RRM) in order to maintain their quality.
2. Improve the efficiency, profitability and environmental sustainability of the Indian seafood
processing industry by valorisation of surimi RRM into high value-added functional ingredients for
food and feed applications.

The exploitation potential of these solutions is discussed in this report.

2 Key exploitable output of ReValue

The ReValue project has developed several key concepts and solutions to improve the resource efficiency in
the seafood supply chains. The overall project approach is embedded in the circular economy thinking of
reduce and reuse. The concepts for climate friendly refrigeration and cold chain management when
implemented by the industry will lead to reduction in losses in the seafood supply chain, especially in the
fishing and subsequent handling and logistics operations, which are common due to temperature
fluctuations. The co-streams from seafood processing which cannot be used as the main product can be
converted into value-added ingredients for food and feed through the implementation of ReValue solutions.

To promote a relevant market uptake, ReValue outcomes are developed up to TRL 5-6 (described in Table 1),
with their validation and demonstration in relevant environments facilitated by a strong industry
involvement in the ReValue consortium (a Surimi processor in India and a food, feed and flavour
manufacturer in Spain).

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Table 1. Key Exploitable Results of ReValue

Key Exploitable Results (KER) State of the art TRL TRL at the end of the project
The individual components of the refrigeration TRL 5 – The developed concepts will be
Climate-friendly refrigeration
system are at TRL 8. The system required for demonstrated in a relevant environment for
for Surimi industry
refrigeration is at TRL 2 Surimi industry
The individual components including RFID, NFC TRL 5 – The technologies developed for an
Technologies for an improved and Bluetooth temperature sensors are at TRL improved cold chain will be demonstrated in
cold chain 8. The various technologies for cold chain in an operational environment within a Surimi
different climates are at TRL 3 supply chain
Technological solution for
TRL 3 – Proof of concept for using endogenous
processing fish RRM into TRL 6 – Process validation in relevant
enzymes. The process has not been tested for
production of high-quality environment at pilot scale
the Surimi RRM
ingredients.
Technologies for food and feed
TRL 3 - Studies and laboratory tests with Surimi
formulation containing oil and Representative prototype product will be
RRM in matrix development have not been
protein fractions from Surimi developed at TRL 5-6
tested
RRM and wash water

The following sections provide detailed descriptions of the main outputs of the project and their foreseen
exploitation by the seafood sector, specifically the surimi industry in India.

2.1 Climate-friendly refrigeration

Fishing in the Indian coastal region is labour intensive, with large numbers of fishermen venturing out to sea
in their small diesel engine-powered boats to catch fish. The boats carry a large quantity of crushed ice from
land for preservation of the fish they catch, as they are not equipped with an on-board refrigeration system.
A small, climate-friendly refrigeration system was proposed in ReValue, running on a vapour absorption
system, which can compensate for the heat ingress into the iced compartments of a boat and reduce ice loss.

The onshore surimi production facility has a very large cooling demand in terms of its requirement for chilled
wash water, ice, deep freezing of the product and subsequent cold storage. NH3- or R404A-based
refrigeration systems are commonly employed in India. An efficient and environmentally-friendly
refrigeration system can provide substantial savings, while at the same time reducing the risk of both primary
and secondary contributions to global warming. Innovative refrigeration systems are designed that are
specifically suited for Indian coastal weather conditions and specific seafood processing demands. The
proposed NH3-CO2-based cascade refrigeration systems ensure ~10% savings in annual energy consumption
and an 8 to 12 % reduction in carbon emissions for surimi production in the climate conditions of Mumbai
(India).

2.2 Solutions for an improved cold chain

With the surimi supply chain (SSC) in India (Fig. 1) being in its developing state, not all processes are
organized, including logistics activities, Rest Raw Material (RRM) management and cold chain management.
This has a negative impact on various aspects such as the fish quality, cost, profitability and quality of the
value-added products. Field observations reveal issues of fragmented ownership, fishing area identification,
issues with fishing boats and their capacity, boat unloading practice, real-time information sharing for the
location of operations and underutilisation of the generated RRM.

To gain a deeper understanding of these issues, process flow maps are developed to indicate the operations
involved. This is followed by constructing value stream maps (Fig. 2) to identify the various types of wastes

5
involved (i.e. Value adding and Non-value adding activities). Supply chain operational enhancements are
suggested by identifying operational and environmental wastes (i.e. lean and green wastes). Improvements
are proposed using Kaizens and supply chain localisations, namely, No Vertical Integration (NVI), Partial
Vertical Integration (PVI) and Complete Vertical Integration (CVI), having varying levels of structural
moderations. These moderations were evaluated both by shorthand calculations and simulations carried out
for each supply chain operation, considering factors such as processing time, lead time, process cycle
efficiency, value added time and non-value added time. Some major conclusions derived are as follows:

• Lean and green wastes were identified for various levels of the supply chain integration studied.
• Operational modifications use lean and Kaizens, whereas environmental improvements achieve greater
significance under supply chain integration with sustainable transportation modes.
• A simulation model depicting variability and localization effects on the supply chain denoted a valid
decrease in lead time and energy consumption under CVI.
• Results clarify the impulsive need for deep localization of processing plants for improved utilization and
profits.

Fig 1. Surimi supply chain in India Fig 2. Sample Value stream map of fishing

Logistics and cold chain management

The fragmented nature of the Indian SSC and reduced level of coordination existing between supply chain
stakeholders causes a complete dependence on third-party logistics, and condensed cold chain robustness
reduces efficiency. Hence, the existing level of supply chain uncertainty and the hold time (inventory time)
along the supply chain shows the need for gaining a clearer understanding of the various cold chain-related
operations in the SSC. The supply chain response matrix (SCRM) (Fig. 3) has been developed to analyse the
existing supply chain scenario in India. The outcomes visualise the current level of cold chain with
improvements, and level of responsiveness that is required in terms of logistics. The results obtained are
further subjected to a 5W2H model (i.e. What, Why, Where, When, Who, How and How often) model to
identify and rectify existing problems (Fig. 4). The conclusions derived are used as struts for structured
improvements called Kaizens. The results obtained from this task aim to remove wasteful activities and
propose cost-effective adaptable developments by standardizing operations using lean management
techniques. Some major conclusions derived from this work are as follows:
• Long-distance transportation and improper cold chain account for a significant portion of wasteful
activities.
• Proposed supply chain structures have a significant influence on lead time and hence need to be
improved.
• There is an impulsive need for deep localization of surimi processing plants in order to improve
responsiveness and cut transportation costs.

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 • A Supply Chain Response Matrix (SCRM) has been developed considering inventory (time) and lead
time to prioritize zones requiring enhancement.
• A 5W2H model is used to identify various issues, and Kaizens are proposed for rectifications.

Cumulative 9.37 days Total: 11.71 days

Inventory

0.95 Pre-processing center – RRM plant

0.26 Pre-processing center – Surimi plant

0.34 Dock activites

7.82 Fishing Process

1.84 days 0.5 days

Cumulative 2. 34 days
Value added lead time

Fig 3. Supply Chain Response Matrix of Indian SSC Fig 4. Issues identified in Surimi cold chain

2.3 Technological solution for processing fish RRM into production of high-quality
ingredients
A lack of proper handling and further utilisation of co-streams such as wash water and RRM is one of the
shortcomings of the surimi industry. The RRM from surimi industry in India are currently used for
feed/fertilizer applications or are discarded without any attempt to recover valuable components. To
increase the value-addition along the supply chain by producing functional ingredients, high quality fish and
RRM are required. In the ReValue project, performed tests and analyses indicated that different RRM
obtained from surimi processing factories in India and Spain have a potential to be used as valuable
ingredients in different formulations (both in food and feed markets). Some variation in chemical
composition as well as microbial quality indicated that proper storage and handling methods, and optimal
processing technologies need to be applied in order to produce high-quality final products. No pathogenic
bacteria were found in any analysed RRM, whole fish, surimi or wash water.

There is no regulation available for the microbiological load of fish-related raw material used in the food
industry in India. According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), permitted aerobic
plate count in fish mince/surimi and analogues are 1 X 106, but yeast and mould should be absent. However,
some of the analysed samples contained yeast and mould, with the highest levels being found in skin and
bone fraction and in wash water. RRM obtained from surimi processing industries are rich in proteins (40-80
% of dry material) and are good sources for the production of protein-rich products and ingredients.

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Fig.5. Overview of the potential for utilisation of co-streams (wash water and rest raw materials) generated
through the surimi processing industry.

Screening for optimal processing technology, together with the optimisation steps taken, indicated that Pink
Perch and Croaker RRM (head and viscera, and skin and bones) which contain valuable nutritional
compounds can be used to produce nutritional protein hydrolysates with desirable functional properties, as
well as for the extraction of marine gelatine. All tested enzymes (Alcalase, mixture of bromelain and papain,
trypsin and endogenous enzymes) yielded good quality protein hydrolysate, but the highest yield (up to 26.4
% of dry material) and best protein quality was obtained using Alcalase. The findings also indicated a potential
for using acids for the protein precipitation from wash water. Treatment of wash water with lactic acid led
to the removal of 87% of protein from wash water. Several extraction technologies were applied on RRM to
extract gelatine, indicating the potential of RRM to be used as sources for marine gelatine.

Ingredients obtained from marine RRM can exhibit an undesirable fish taste and smell. Nowadays,
microencapsulation is highly recommended in different food industries because of the benefits provided,
such as thermostability enhancement, bioactive compound protection, controlled release, volatiles
maintaining, odour shelter, and texture/sense improvement. Experimental work performed with
hydrolysates obtained from the Pink Perch heads and viscera indicated that microencapsulation can be used
to make the hydrolysates thermostable and mask the fish odour. Different wall materials were used for the
microencapsulation process to stabilize and mask the fishy odour of protein hydrolysates, and the most
promising combination of wall material was selected on the basis of encapsulation efficiency. The
combination of hydrolysate + Maltodextrin + Gum Arabic + Sodium Alginates, as well as hydrolysate +
Maltodextrin showed a higher encapsulation efficiency compared to other combinations of wall materials.
These results can provide a promising and feasible method for the application of marine functional
ingredients for fortification of different food formulations.

2.4 Technological solution for processing fish RRM into production of high-quality
ingredients
The Surimi processing industry generates large amounts of by-products in the form of head & viscera and
bones & skins during the production of surimi as product yields were only 30–50 %. These head & viscera
and skin & bones were converted into protein hydrolysate and gelatin respectively. The protein hydrolysate
was first extracted through enzymatic hydrolysis of Pink Perch head & viscera by using alcalase enzymes. This
protein hydrolysate was further microencapsulated by using different wall material (maltodextrin, gum

8
arabic, sodium alginates, carboxy methyl cellulose) to minimize the fishy odour of protein hydrolysates.
Among all the microencapsulates, combination of protein hydrolysates + maltodextrin + gum Arabic + sodium
alginate was selected for development of protein rich ready to cook soup. Three types of soups were
prepared i.e., Soup 1 (Blank soup: without protein hydrolysates and microencapsulated protein
hydrolysates); Soup 2 (Protein hydrolysates soup); Soup 3 (Microencapsulates soup) and Soup 4 (Fish powder
soup) having more than 15 % protein content. The soup developed using microencapsulated protein
hydrolysates had higher overall acceptability and acceptable aroma among all soups. After chemical and
physical characterization of soup ethical clearance for animal trial will be obtained and approval from Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will be taken. Trial of soup before commercialization will be
done using the help of Anganwadi workers followed by technology transfer.

Pink Perch skin and bone gelatin not only serves as a promising alternative to bovine gelatin, it can also create
economic value to the surimi industry by-products and reduces the waste generated from the surimi industry.
Gelatin can be extracted from skin and bones biomass. Gelatin is commonly used to impart novel and
improved rheological characteristics to food products and added benefits include fat reduction and reduction
in costs. Different variants of meatballs were made from different concentration of Pink Perch skin and bones
gelatin (3-6%) to analyse effects of gelatin in improving the quality of the processed meat products (chicken
ball), resulting in a novel range of gelled comminated meat system replacing typical meat emulsions.

Chicken meatball with 5% gelatin depicted the best rheological properties along with highest overall
acceptability in sensory evaluation. Chicken meatballs were fairly stable at-18°C temperature for longer
duration of time. Pink Perch gelatin incorporated meatballs can be commercially exploited after testing for
its nutritional profile and bioavailability of nutrients. Animal trials must be conducted before taking approval
from FSSAI.

3 Exploitation events
The exploitation events with stakeholders have helped shape the output of the ReValue project to better
serve the target audience. Several ReValue open days, workshops and webinars were organised to present
and discuss the project results with industry actors, project partners and the general public. Some of these
were organised alongside the annual project meetings and in collaboration with the INTPART project RE-
food. These included:

1. Open day 1 in Goa, India – February 2018

2. Open day 2 in Mumbai, India – November 2018
3. Open day 3 in Trondheim, Norway – September 2019
4. Open day 4 in Kolkata, India – December 2019
5. Webinar 1 – June 2021
6. Final project meeting with external participants – June 2021
7. Webinar 2 – August 2021

The project has also resulted in several presentations at scientific conferences and industry events which
are detailed in the final dissemination and communication report.

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4 Potential impact and exploitation of results
The bio-economy business model is directed towards sustainable production via conversion of natural
biomass and by-products into a range of food, health, and other industrial products. Reduction of losses and
valorisation of RRM in the fish value chains is a global societal challenge, and at the same time a great
opportunity for market competition. The vast impact of the Surimi industry on global food waste production,
being that it is responsible for more than 3.5% of the global fish losses, is due to its low-efficiency processing,
which generates huge amounts of RRM and wash water. In this context, a series of innovations will enable
ReValue to optimize the Surimi value chain, including improved temperature management, reduction of the
waste generated by processing, conversion of RRM into high value-added ingredients for food and feed, and
a business strategy for commercial exploitation of the project outcomes in India and Europe. Currently, the
number of value-added products derived from fish RRM is very low, primarily because alternative uses of
RRM require the demonstration of the product’s feasibility and profitability.

A high market and economic impact can be achieved through strengthening the competitiveness of the
industry in target market sectors by:

1. Promoting the use of ReValue materials, components and systems in high value-added applications
while keeping costs competitive,
2. Strengthening and differentiating the EU and Indian Industry,
3. Increasing workers’ skills.

Global fish production has grown steadily in the last five decades, increasing at an average annual rate of
3.2%. Worldwide, the fish processing industry leads to the production of a large amount of RRM which are
generally discarded (~7.3 million tons/year). This results in an increase of RRM available for use in other
applications, for example in the production of gelatine and derivatives for food and feed. India is the largest
country in the Indian Ocean and has a long coastline with over 200 varieties of commercially important fishes
and shellfishes. India produced nearly 95 000 MT of Surimi in 2019, a 35 000 MT increase since 2012. Europe
uses about 70 000 tons of Surimi for producing over 210 000 000 tonnes of Surimi-based products. The main
consumer in Europe is France (whose market accounts for about 60 000 tonnes of Surimi-based products)
followed by Spain (consuming about 40 000 tonnes), Ukraine (14 000 tonnes), the UK (12 000 tonnes) and
Italy (8000 tonnes). In the last decade, Surimi penetration in the European market was slow. In 2016 it
increased by around 20,000 metric tons (about 3%), and in 2018 the EU market produced nearly 170 000
tonnes of Surimi product, from its top producers in Spain, France, and Lithuania, signalling a true rise in
demand (European Commission, 2018).

In this scenario, ReValue has the potential to achieve a huge market impact, drastically increasing the Surimi
industry profitability. The average value of fish used for surimi will increase significantly if the RRM can be
utilized in feed ingredients (and the value will be even higher for food applications). In particular, ReValue
solutions contribute to quality enhancement through the improvement of processes and cold chain, and
through the introduction of functional ingredients derived from RRM that can be used as nutritional
supplements. Further exploitation should focus on the marketing of surimi-derived products, which can help
to increase consumer awareness and create a wider acceptance of Indian surimi and the products derived
from it in the European market.

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