Lerøy makes the most of salmon using even the blood

In its quest to make the most of salmon, Lerøy had so far managed to find a use - or, rather, a market - for everything from swim bladders, fish heads, and fish skin. Now, the company has managed to go a step further and do something unprecedented in the aquaculture industry: even to take advantage of salmon blood.

The resulting product, which has been named SalmoFer® is the world's first iron ingredient from salmon.  "After working hard for several years to develop this unique product, we are proud to see the results," said Mats Trones, head of Lerøy's 100% Fish department.

World's first iron ingredient from salmon

According to the research organization SINTEF, the aquaculture industry has a utilization rate of residual raw materials of approximately 94%. The only remaining part that was not used until now was blood. Therefore, also transforming blood into a resource is something the industry had been working on for more than 20 years.

Making good on its reputation for innovation and sustainability, Lerøy has spent years collaborating with various R&D communities to explore opportunities and how to take advantage of them to come up with this new product that the company is already marketing in various formats.

SalmoFer® - its registered trademark - is not only the world's first iron ingredient from salmon but also the first of its kind. "To our knowledge, this is the only commercially available iron ingredient from marine raw materials," stated Lerøy's 100% Fish department head.

According to information provided by the company, what is unique about this new product is that it makes use of the protein haemoglobin in the salmon blood, naturally rich in heme iron, which is a natural source of iron. "Heme iron is a fantastic source of iron! Our bodies absorb it more efficiently and easily than non-heme iron," Mats Trones explained.

For practical purposes, this means that with this type of iron, the most common unwanted side effects that many people experience when taking iron supplements, such as stomach upset, constipation and stomach pain, are avoided. In addition, its absorption is not affected by drinking coffee, tea or wine, or by consuming dairy products.

A strategic approach focused on sustainability

In its commitment to meet the Paris Agreement target of reducing emissions by 46% by 2030, one of the things the company is doing to meet its sustainability goals is making use of a higher proportion of its raw materials. Lerøy's aim is to create the most efficient and sustainable seafood value chain in the world.

"One of our strategic priorities is to make better use of our own raw materials by increasing the value of our by-products," claimed Lerøy's CEO, Henning Beltestad. The 100% Fish department, which, as mentioned, is the one behind the SalmoFer® product, was established with that purpose in mind: to work on developing, marketing and selling innovative products made with Lerøy's own raw ingredients to new market segments.

"By using all our raw ingredients and expertise at Lerøy, as well as our good partnerships with R&D communities, biotech ventures and start-ups, we want to bring more innovative products to market in order to make even better use of our raw materials and add more value," said the department's head.

But, beyond the concept of circularity or zero waste, Norwegian seafood pioneer since 1899, Lerøy adds even more added-value to the product highlighting its origin by marketing SalmoFer® under the slogan 'Iron from Norwegian Salmon'.

To top it all off, the company also does not hesitate to remind potential consumers of its iron from salmon blood that, according to the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index, it is the second most sustainable protein producer worldwide. In short, Lerøy is making the most of salmon, in every respect.