Stolt Sea Farm held a special opening ceremony to acknowledge the work of employees across multiple departments in setting up this new space for its innovation unit.
Photo: Stolt Sea Farm.
Spanish-based flatfish producer Stolt Sea Farm (SSF) announced today its innovation unit will boost sustainability in fish processing following the opening of a pilot 'Valorisation Room' at its facilities in Lira, Galicia, Spain, which aims to reduce waste and optimize the use of by-products and co-products from the aquaculture activity.
SFF used the opening ceremony of the new space to highlight its commitment to engaging in research and innovation to improve the sustainability of both its operations and the aquaculture industry as a whole.
According to the company's statement on the opening, this new unit within the Food Operations department will explore "ways to further improve the cost efficiency, sustainability and food safety standards of the processes SSF uses to prepare fillets and portions of turbot and sole."
By-products, such as heads, skin, fish trimmings, bones, and viscera, will be preserved and investigated in terms of their potential reuse value. This unit will study whether, for example, they can become a source of proteins, peptides, collagen, gelatin, calcium, enzymes, or even flavorings.
As mentioned, this pilot 'Valorisation Room' in Lira, Galicia, España, is part of Stolt Sea Farm's participation in the European LIFE REFISH project, aligned with its commitment to support a more circular economy.
LIFE REFISH is a collaboration between the Galician fishing industry, aquaculture companies such as Jealsa, Grupo Nueva Pescanova, Oprormar, Valora Marine Ingredients, and SSF itself, and the scientific organization Institute of Marine Research (IIM), which is part of the Spanish National Research Center (CSIC).
Supported by the European Union, within the LIFE Programme - the EU's funding instrument for the environment and climate action - LIFE REFISH aims to create the first flexible biorefinery to valorize discards and by-products of the European fish and seafood production.
Through the application of state-of-the-art technology, these currently underutilized fish and seafood resources could be converted into high-value-added products with great market potential.
The ultimate goal is to demonstrate the environmental, social, and economic viability of a biorefinery that improves the sustainability of the fishing and seafood industry by maximizing the value of landed discards and fish and shellfish by-products and favoring the circular economy.
Stolt Sea Farm (SSF) is a division of Stolt-Nielsen Limited (SNL). Leader in land-based aquaculture, the company is the premier provider of high-quality turbot and sole. With the majority of its production facilities located in the Iberian Peninsula, it has its main operations in Spain, where recently announced major plans to ramp up production after the expansion of its flagship sole hatchery located in Cervo, Galicia. SSF sells its products in more than 30 countries worldwide.
