Technology · Blue bioeconomy / Aquaculture & seafood

Marine peptides & nutraceuticals

Bioactive peptides, low-molecular-weight collagen and omega-3 recovered from fishery by-catch (heads, skin, bones) by enzymatic hydrolysis, tangential ultrafiltration and spray-drying — a circular-blue-economy stack for nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals and functional food.

Maturity 5/9 Risk: low Cosmetics US · CN · EU Science: why it works → verified 2026-06-28 · 6 Sources (0 independent)

1 · What it gives

Marine peptides and nutraceuticals from fishery by-products is a high-value circular-bioeconomy stream that turns the 50–70% of fish mass (heads, skin, bones, scales, viscera) historically discarded or down-cycled into feed meal into premium ingredients for nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals and functional food. These by-streams are a rich source of animal protein, collagen, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and bioactive peptides. With modern enzymatic hydrolysis, ultrafiltration and spray-drying, fish off-cuts become premium marine-collagen peptides whose low molecular weight (<2 kDa) gives them markedly higher bioavailability than bovine or porcine collagen. Bioactive peptides split out by specific proteases show ACE-inhibiting anti-hypertensive, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity, underpinning supplements and geroprotective formats. The 2026 market is expanding fast, driven by the EU Zero-Waste stack of food-waste rules and a global swing to clean, hypoallergenic (halal, kosher) protein sources.

The key directions of marine peptides & nutraceuticals are:

Low-molecular-weight marine collagen (Low-MW Marine Collagen): type I and III peptides extracted mainly from cod-family skin (cod, haddock, pollock), neutral in taste and odour, used to stimulate endogenous collagen synthesis in skin and joints.
Fish protein hydrolysates (Fish Protein Hydrolysates): deep hydrolysates of muscle tissue, heads and viscera carrying a balanced essential-amino-acid and short-peptide profile, used in sports nutrition and hypoallergenic diets.
Chitosan and glucosamine (Chitosan & Glucosamine): produced by deacetylation of chitin from crustacean shells (shrimp, crab); chitosan is a fat-and-toxin sorbent and a biodegradable preservation film.
High-purity omega-3 EPA/DHA concentrates (High-Purity Omega-3): extracted from liver and viscera oil by supercritical-fluid extraction that prevents oxidation of the unstable lipids.

Sectoral value chain#

[By-catch streams (skin, heads)] ──> [Enzymatic hydrolysis] ──> [Membrane ultrafiltration]
           │                                    │                              │
    (port-side sorting)                 (bond cleavage)              (<2 kDa fractionation)
                                                                       │
[End products (collagen, supplements)] <─── [Spray drying] <──────────┘

Value chain levels#

Level	Description	Key inputs/outputs
Sourcing & Logistics	Collection of fresh, unspoiled by-products at factory ships and shore plants, with rapid shock-freezing of the feedstock.	In: cod/salmon heads, skin, fins, scales. Out: standardized food-grade frozen feedstock.
Pre-treatment	Disinfection, ice-water washing and mechanical removal of residual muscle; weak-acid demineralization of bones and scales.	In: frozen fish off-cuts, organic acids. Out: cleaned, de-salted collagen-bearing protein matrix.
Enzymatic Hydrolysis	Controlled hydrolysis in a bioreactor with food-grade endo- and exoproteases that cut protein to the target peptide length.	In: protein matrix, enzymes (Alcalase, Flavourzyme), water. Out: liquid crude hydrolysate (amino-acid and peptide mix).
Separation	Removal of insoluble sediment and free fish oil on tricanter centrifuges; deep polishing on activated carbon to strip pigment and odour.	In: liquid hydrolysate, activated carbon, centrifuges. Out: clear, deodorized peptide and collagen solution.
Ultrafiltration (UF/NF)	Cascaded membrane passage that selectively cuts off peptides with molecular weight strictly under 2 kDa for optimal bioavailability.	In: clarified solution, ultrafiltration modules. Out: concentrated low-MW peptide permeate.
Drying & Packaging	Vacuum concentration and spray-drying to a fine, hygroscopic white peptide powder.	In: peptide concentrate, spray dryer, nitrogen. Out: commercial-grade marine collagen/peptide powder.

Cross-cutting technologies of the sector:

Mild directed enzymatic hydrolysis (Enzyme-Assisted Hydrolysis): combinations of high-specificity plant, animal and microbial proteases cleave defined peptide bonds, minimizing the free hydrophobic amino acids that make hydrolysates bitter.
Tangential membrane filtration (Cross-Flow Filtration): the feed flows parallel to the membrane surface, preventing pore fouling and letting peptides be size-fractionated continuously (e.g. 1–3 kDa for cosmetics, 3–5 kDa for joints).
Microencapsulation and nanoemulsions (Microencapsulation): unstable peptides and omega-3 are sealed in liposomal or maltodextrin shells that mask fish taste and shield the actives from oxidation and gastric juice.

2 · What it replaces 3 · matched by industry

D1E–	Fermentation cosmetic ingredients instead of shark-liver squalene, rooster-comb hyaluronic acid and animal collagen Replaces: Shark-liver oil squalene (deep-sea shark fisheries); hyaluronic acid from rooster combs; bovine/porcine collagen extracts (and their …	COSM
D3E2	Biodegradable scrub particles and exfoliants instead of polyethylene microbeads Replaces: Polyethylene (and PP/PET/PMMA) microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics: face/body scrubs, toothpastes, shower gels; glitter (polyester/alu …	COSM
D1E–	Biosurfactant and APG cleansing — sophorolipids, rhamnolipids, alkyl polyglucosides — instead of petrochemical SLES/SLS Replaces: Petrochemical anionic surfactants (SLES/SLS) and their ethoxylated feedstock chain (1,4-dioxane contamination risk at trace levels, …	COSM

3 · How to implement 6 steps

1
Feedstock preparation and mechanical cleaning of cod skinFeedstock & raw materialsFormulation & blending
Frozen blocks of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) skin are defrosted at 4 °C over 12 hours, washed in ice-cold deionized water to remove residual scales, mucus and salt, and minced through a 5 mm grate to maximize the contact area for reagents.
Who can do this step matched automatically
India Glycols (NSE) India
✓ GMP ✓ ISO 9001 7,500 MT/ industrial scale
“India Glycols Limited holds the distinction of being the only green petrochemical company of its kind and is the first and only in the world to have commercialized the production …”
Advanced Enzyme Technologies (NSE) India
✓ GMP ✓ ISO 9001 500 m3
“This is a satellite blending, mixing and formulation facility, located at Vashind near Shahapur and dedicated to the company’s Animal Nutrition business.”
Silvateam Italy
✓ GMP ✓ ISO 9001 15,000 tons per year industrial scale
“Production of feed additives and premixtures”
Parry Nutraceuticals (EID Parry) India
✓ ISO 9001 industrial scale
“Core nutraceutical products are Organic Spirulina (bulk powder/tablets) and Organic Chlorella (bulk powder/tablets), plus microalgae ingredients like beta carotenoids and …”
Yiming Biotechnology China
✓ GMP ✓ ISO 9001
“Ice Cream Premix Powder”
2
Acid-alkaline conditioning and demineralization
The mince is pumped into a jacketed reactor and treated with 0.1 M sodium hydroxide at 6 °C for 4 hours to remove non-collagen proteins, lipids and pigments, then washed to neutral pH; a weak 0.05 M hydrochloric-acid step softens the structure and removes calcium salts, and the swollen collagen mass is washed with ice water to pH 6.5.
3
Precision enzymatic hydrolysisSynthesis & conversion
Deionized water is added to the demineralized mass at 1:2, the reactor is heated to 55 °C and the pH is held at 8.0 by automatic alkali dosing; an industrial protease (Alcalase 2.4L at 0.8% of dry protein mass) is dosed in and hydrolysis runs under continuous mixing for 3 hours, cleaving collagen fibrils into short peptide chains before the reaction is arrested by flash-heating to 85 °C for 15 minutes.
Who can do this step matched automatically
Bota Bio 恩和生物 China
✓ ISO 9001 600 tons pilot scale
“Protein expression is limited by multiple bottlenecks, such as transcription efficiency, translation efficiency, metabolic constraints, protein folding, and hydrolysis.”
Rossari Biotech (NSE) India
✓ ISO 9001 industrial scale
“A liver protectant comprising a combination of Liver extracts, Choline chloride, Inositol, Vitamin B12, Protein Hydrolysate, Biotin, Selenium, Vitamin E and Methylsulfonylmethane.”
4
Selective membrane fractionationPurification & downstream
The hot mix is cooled to 45 °C and fed to a tricanter centrifuge to remove large insoluble scale particles and freed oil; the clarified hydrolysate passes through an activated-carbon filter to strip yellow pigment and fish odour, and a tangential-flow ultrafiltration unit with a 2 kDa cut-off collects the low-molecular-weight collagen peptide permeate while retentate returns to the hydrolysis reactor.
Who can do this step matched automatically
Esco Aster Singapore
✓ ISO 9001 5,000 L industrial scale
“Adherent cell culture and downstream processing: commercialized Tide Motion bioreactor platform (MiniTide to TideXcell) with closed automated cell harvesting and single-use …”
Advanced Enzyme Technologies (NSE) India
✓ GMP ✓ ISO 9001 500 m3
“Development of robust, scalable fermentation and downstream processing (production and recovery/yield optimization).”
GenScript ProBio / Genscript China
✓ GMP industrial scale
“testing, including mass spectrometry and analytical high performance liquid chromatography”
GEA Group Germany
✓ ISO 9001
“[Evaporation & Crystallization Systems”
5
High-temperature spray dryingPurification & downstreamField application & services
The peptide permeate is vacuum-concentrated to 35% dry solids, flash-pasteurized at 120 °C for 4 seconds, and atomized under 180 bar into a spray dryer with 180 °C inlet and 85 °C outlet air; the dry white powder settles in the cyclone, is cooled by dry cold air and conveyed to packing.
Who can do this step matched automatically
Esco Aster Singapore
✓ ISO 9001 5,000 L industrial scale
“Adherent cell culture and downstream processing: commercialized Tide Motion bioreactor platform (MiniTide to TideXcell) with closed automated cell harvesting and single-use …”
Advanced Enzyme Technologies (NSE) India
✓ GMP ✓ ISO 9001 500 m3
“Development of robust, scalable fermentation and downstream processing (production and recovery/yield optimization).”
GenScript ProBio / Genscript China
✓ GMP industrial scale
“testing, including mass spectrometry and analytical high performance liquid chromatography”
GEA Group Germany
✓ ISO 9001
“[Evaporation & Crystallization Systems”
6
Packing, quality certification and laboratory QCTesting & analytics
The marine collagen powder is sieved to remove agglomerates; QC samples each batch for molecular-weight distribution by HPLC (strictly >90% of peptides under 2 kDa), moisture (<5%), solubility, absence of heavy metals (arsenic, mercury, lead) by ICP-MS, and microbiological purity (no salmonella, no coliforms) before vacuum or nitrogen packing in three-layer kraft bags with a polyethylene liner for B2B shipment.
Who can do this step matched automatically
Esco Aster Singapore
✓ ISO 9001 5,000 L industrial scale
“Esco Aster (Singapore) is a cGMP contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO/CDMO) and bioinnovation venture accelerator that helps clients and …”
BRAIN Biotech Germany
✓ ISO 9001 industrial scale
“As a contract research organization (CRO), we provide smart, rapid, and effective solutions using cutting-edge technologies to drive customer success.”
Bloomage Biotechnology China
✓ GMP 320 tons industrial scale
“The company positions MitoEGT® as a mitochondria-targeting anti-aging ingredient with multiple efficacy studies, 38 patents, national metrology recognition, and plans to broaden …”
GenScript ProBio / Genscript China
✓ GMP industrial scale
“ProBio: A global CRDMO (contract research, development, and manufacturing organization) providing end-to-end solutions for biologics and cell and gene therapy (CGT).”

4 · Who delivers

Matched suppliers (matched automatically)

Nofima	Norway	Research / RTO	active
GenScript ProBio / Genscript	China	Research / RTO	active
UMAMI Bioworks	Singapore	Producer	active

Listed suppliers

Nofima

In the services and supply catalogue 1 · paid service

Nutrients & supplements

Leading companies and institutes (from the brief)

Company / Institute	Country	Key products / platforms	Tech features	Status 2026
Seagarden	🇳🇴 Norway	Marine Collagen powder	wild Arctic cod-skin extraction, MSC, full traceability	commercial
Hofseth Biocare	🇳🇴 Norway	ProGo, OmeGo, CalGo	zero-waste enzymatic hydrolysis of fresh salmon	commercial
Copalis	🇫🇷 France	Alphamine, Collactive	specialized wild-fish collagen-elastin hydrolysates	commercial
Cargill	🇺🇸 USA	Marine Collagen lines	global logistics, H&W-brand ingredient integration	commercial
YSFRI	🇨🇳 China	extraction-process patents	hydrolysis combined with supercritical CO2 lipid extraction	operating
Nofima	🇳🇴 Norway	peptide bioactivity research	pilot lines and clinical peptide trials for diabetes	operating

5 · Rules & route to market

Route into Russia / EAEU: COSM · EAEU conformity bodies (Rospotrebnadzor for SGR)
declaration (SGR for some categories)
Information, not legal advice — confirm the procedure for your product. (2026-10-06)

United States

The US leads consumption of sports and anti-ageing marine collagen, integrating it into functional drinks and ready-to-mix nutrition, while the FDA gates new marine-peptide ingredients through a strict GRAS process.

Cargill marine collagen, circular Alaska fish-oil, FDA GRAS validation#

Cargill marine collagen: the US food conglomerate runs food- and cosmetic-grade marine collagen lines, sourcing and processing wild cold-water fish skins into soluble premixes for American beauty-and-health brands.
Circular Alaska fish oil: processors along the Alaska coast recover high-purity omega-3 concentrate from wild salmon and pollock by-products, cutting imported feedstock and the carbon footprint of the US seafood chain.
FDA GRAS validation: marine-peptide makers must clear the FDA GRAS process, proving the absence of residual heavy metals (mercury, cadmium) and pathogenic toxins before ingredient use.

European Union

The European Union is the world’s main supplier of eco-certified premium wild-North-Sea fish collagen, built on the EU circular-economy rulebook and a strong Norwegian blue-bioeconomy cluster.

Seagarden & Hofseth blue biotech, Copalis B2B ingredients, EFSA Novel Food#

Seagarden (Norway): a leading European producer of pure collagen from wild Arctic cod skin caught in the clean waters of the Norwegian and Barents seas, MSC-certified and sold in more than 40 countries.
Hofseth Biocare enzymatic hydrolysis: a Norwegian biotech running a patented continuous enzymatic hydrolysis of fresh (never-frozen) salmon heads and bones at the processing plant, yielding three zero-waste products — purified fish oil OmeGo, soluble protein hydrolysate ProGo and joint calcium powder CalGo.
EFSA Novel Food and Copalis: EFSA runs multi-year safety testing of bioactive marine peptides before clearing them as Novel Foods, checking allergenic potential and molecular-profile stability, while Copalis (France) supplies specialized wild-fish hydrolysates (Alphamine, Collactive) as a B2B ingredient partner.

China

China is the world’s largest processor of aquatic biomass, running giant deep-processing clusters for fish by-products in Shandong province that supply export volumes of high-purity collagen powder.

YSFRI R&D, Shandong biorefineries, scale-up of fish collagen peptides#

YSFRI R&D in Qingdao: the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute is China’s lead state centre for marine-by-product biotech, holding dozens of patents on combined collagen, hyaluronic-acid and sulfated-polysaccharide recovery from fish scales and cartilage.
Shandong Peninsula biorefineries: Shandong concentrates the country’s largest seafood-processing capacity, with plants such as Shandong Oriental Ocean turning hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fish off-cuts into cheap, high-purity collagen powder for export to Asia and Europe.
Industrial scale-up of collagen-peptide extraction: Chinese lines use automated fermenters up to 100 m³ and very large spray dryers, delivering collagen at industrial scale with low operating cost.

6 · Money: tenders & grants

No open tender or grant matched right now.

7 · Tech stack & innovations

Blue-nutraceutical production rests on tangential-flow membrane cascades, industrial spray-drying and supercritical-CO2 extraction that protect fragile omega-3 double bonds from oxidation.

Cascaded tangential ultrafiltration (TFF Membrane Filtration):
- the liquid hydrolysate is pumped at high pressure parallel to polyethersulfone hollow-fibre membranes, holding transmembrane pressure to split retentate (large proteins sent back for re-hydrolysis) from a permeate of collagen peptides strictly under 2 kDa.
Industrial spray dryers (Spray Drying):
- the peptide concentrate is atomized as a fine mist into a chamber of sterile air heated to 180 °C; water flashes off instantly and dry spherical peptide microgranules settle in the cyclone, with evaporative cooling preventing thermal damage and caramelization of the amino acids.
Supercritical-CO2 extraction (Supercritical Fluid Extraction):
- fish-liver oil is fed into an extraction column where supercritical carbon dioxide (about 31 °C, 300 bar) is the solvent, recovering delicate omega-3 lipids without toxic organic solvents or heat and fully protecting the double bonds from oxidation.

Sources 6 · 0 independent · 6 producer sites

Producers' own sites 6

Seagarden producer checked 2026-05-05 · link not kept
Hofseth biocare producer checked 2026-05-26 · link not kept
Copalis producer checked 2026-02-21 · link not kept
Cargill producer checked 2026-05-22 · link not kept
Ysfri producer checked 2026-06-28 · link not kept
Nofima producer checked 2026-06-01 · link not kept