Valorisation of Frozen Cod (Gadus morhua) Heads, Captured by Trawl and Longline by the Oceanic Fleet, by Enzymatic Hydrolysis

In the Norwegian oceanic fleet, whitefish onboard processing creates a great amount of rest raw materials. Cod heads are nutritious and a good source for production of high-quality marine peptides. Frozen cod heads, captured by trawl or longline, were evaluated based on the lightness and redness in the neck cut to compare the quality in heads from the different fishing gears. The heads were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis. The hydrolysates have been chemically and sensory characterized. There was no significant difference in quality or chemical and sensory characteristics based on type of fishing gear. The resulting hydrolysates were of high quality, although moderately bitter. The study demonstrates that frozen cod heads from the oceanic fleet can be an excellent source of high-quality proteins for human consumption.

Automated summary

In the Norwegian oceanic fleet, whitefish onboard processing produces a significant amount of leftover raw materials. Cod heads, which are nutritious and can be used to produce high-quality marine peptides, were evaluated based on their lightness and redness in the neck cut to compare the quality of heads from different fishing gears. The enzymatic hydrolysis process showed no significant difference in quality or chemical and sensory characteristics based on the type of fishing gear. The resulting hydrolysates were of high quality, although they had a moderate level of bitterness. This study demonstrates that frozen cod heads from the oceanic fleet can be an excellent source of high-quality proteins for human consumption.