According to new data from Hailia, seafood products made with fish filleting sidestreams can contain 20 times more calcium, 5 times more marine collagen, twice the amount of iron, and…

According to new data from Hailia, seafood products made with fish filleting sidestreams can contain 20 times more calcium, 5 times more marine collagen, twice the amount of iron, and 10 times more zinc per 100 g compared to salmon filet products

Hailia, the leading seafood tech company for the utilisation of sidestreams in food production, has studied the nutritional compositions of fish products made with sidestreams from salmon filleting, such as heads, fins, and frames. The results show that these products contain significantly higher levels of key nutrients like collagen, calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, and Omega-3 fats than typical filet products currently on the market. The findings suggest that fish products made from filleting sidestreams can play a significant role in bringing new and healthier seafood products to market, while offering processors high-value-added ingredients from raw materials with traditionally low commercial value.

Hailia’s data reveals significantly higher levels of calcium and high vitamin D in ready products made from sidestreams. The reason is the increased bone and cartilage content in these products. Because these two nutrients work in symbiosis, consuming these products can have a positive effect on calcium uptake in the body.

The results also show higher levels of marine collagen, up to 2g per serving, which is five times more than what’s found in filet products, and similar levels to what’s found in many common collagen supplements. The marine collagen market has grown rapidly in recent years, driven by global demand from the beauty and wellness industries. Most collagen supplements today are produced from fish skin and scales, materials that are often imported and processed separately from food production. Hailia’s findings show that seafood sidestreams, such as heads and frames, contain naturally high levels of collagen and other essential nutrients, creating an opportunity to meet this demand more sustainably through whole-food applications.

 “Sidestreams have been valuable in cooking throughout our history, from broths to local delicacies, because they give good taste and contain high levels of healthy nutrients,” says Michaela Lindstöm, CEO and Founder of Hailia. “Our data shows that these same raw materials can serve a much bigger purpose, not just as traditional ingredients, but as a natural source of nutrients like marine collagen that are increasingly sought after in global wellness markets in supplement form. By producing ready-to-eat products from these parts of the fish, we can offer people better nutrition in everyday foods, while reducing waste and creating more sustainable value from every catch.”