Quality of Protein Isolates and Hydrolysates from Baltic Herring (Clupea harengus membras) and Roach (Rutilus rutilus) Produced by pH-Shift Processes and Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Fractionation is a potential way to valorize under-utilized fishes, but the quality of the resulting fractions is crucial in terms of their applicability. The aim of this work was to study the quality of protein isolates and hydrolysates extracted from roach (Rutilus rutilus) and Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) using either pH shift or enzymatic hydrolysis. The amino acid composition of protein isolates and hydrolysates mostly complied with the nutritional requirements for adults, but protein isolates produced using pH shift showed higher essential to non-essential amino acid ratios compared with enzymatically produced hydrolysates, 0.84–0.85 vs. 0.65–0.70, respectively. Enzymatically produced protein hydrolysates had a lower total lipid content, lower proportion of phospholipids, and exhibited lower degrees of protein and lipid oxidation compared with pH-shift-produced isolates. These findings suggest enzymatic hydrolysis to be more promising from a lipid oxidation perspective while the pH-shift method ranked higher from a nutrient perspective. However, due to the different applications of protein isolates and hydrolysates produced using pH shift or enzymatic hydrolysis, respectively, the further optimization of both studied methods is recommended.

Climate change or mismanagement?

Climate change and deoxygenation are affecting fish stocks on a global scale, but disentangling the impacts of these stressors from the effects of overfishing is a challenge. This study was conducted to distinguish between climate change and mismanagement as possible causes for the drastic decline in spawning stock size and reproductive success in cod (Gadus morhua) and herring (Clupea harengus) in the Western Baltic Sea, when compared with the good or satisfactory status and reproductive success of the other commercial species in the area. Available data on water temperature, wind speed, and plankton bloom during the spawning season did not reveal conclusive correlations between years with good and bad reproductive success of cod or herring. Notably, the other commercial species in the area have very similar life history traits suggesting similar resilience against stress caused by climate change or fishing. The study concludes that severe, sustained overfishing plus inappropriate size selectivity of the main fishing gears have caused the decline in spawning stock biomass of cod and herring to levels that are known to have a high probability of impaired reproductive success. It is pointed out that allowed catches were regulated by management and adhered to by the fishers, meaning that unregulated fishing did not occur. Thus, mismanagement (quotas that were too high and gears that selected too small sizes) and not climate change appears to be the primary cause of the bad status of cod and herring in the Western Baltic Sea.

Spatial and Temporal Differences in Fecundity of Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) off Nova Scotia and Consequences for Biological Reference Points

The relationships between fecundity and size of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) were estimated within five different spawning areas off the coast of Nova Scotia in 2019 and 2020. Statistically significant differences in fecundity relative to body weight were observed among spawning areas and between years. Fecundity-at-length on the German Bank spawning ground was 29-36% and 22-28% lower than estimates from 2001 and 1970, respectively. Temporal changes in weight- and relative fecundity- at-age resulted in a decrease in the number of eggs-per-recruit (in an equilibrium unfished state) by 50% and a decrease of 27% in the egg production per tonne of spawning stock biomass (SSB) in 2020 relative to 1970. Decreases in SSB-per-recruit and eggs-per-recruit over time resulted in proportional decreases in equilibrium SSB at maximum sustainable yield (MSY); however, the fishing mortality rate (F) at MSY remained relatively stable over time. Total egg production was shown to be disproportional to SSB. Equilibrium SSB at MSY was greater (and F at MSY lower) when estimated using eggs-per-recruit compared to SSB-per-recruit. Failing to account for fecundity and assuming that egg production is proportional to SSB resulted in an overestimate of stock status

Nutritional and Sensory Properties of Protein Hydrolysates Based on Salmon (Salmo salar), Mackerel (Scomber scombrus), and Herring (Clupea harengus) Heads and Backbones

Protein hydrolysates based on salmon, mackerel, and herring heads and backbones were produced, and the sensory properties of the hydrolysates were evaluated by a highly trained sensory panel. The nutritional content of the products was evaluated, and the hydrolysates contained all the amino acids inherent to the raw material, including considerable levels of connective tissue amino acids glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. Hydrolysates based on herring were the most flavor intense, whereas hydrolysates based on salmon were deemed more palatable. In this work, choice of fraction (heads vs. backbones) and enzyme had minor effects on sensory and nutritional properties, indicating that choice of raw material species was the major factor for flavor development in the produced protein hydrolysates. There were large variations in protein content and amino acid composition in the raw material fractions, but as expected, only minor variations were found in the final products.

A Recyclable Dipping Strategy to Stabilize Herring (Clupea harengus) Co-products During Ice Storage

Applying value-adding techniques to fish filleting co-products is rendered difficult due to their high susceptibility to lipid oxidation, microbial spoilage, and amine formation. In this study, a recyclable dipping strategy was developed and investigated for its ability to stabilize herring (Clupea harengus) co-products (head, backbone, caudal fin, intestines, belly flap, skin, and in some cases roe) against oxidation and microbial spoilage. From initial screening of seven antioxidative components/formulas in minced herring co-products during ice storage, an oil-soluble rosemary extract (RE-B) and isoascorbic acid (IAA) were identified as most promising candidates. These compounds were then formulated to a recyclable solution to be used for dipping of the herring co-products. The commercial Duralox MANC antioxidant mixture was used as a positive control. Dipping in 0.2% RE-B solution ± 0.5% IAA or in 2% Duralox MANC solutions remarkably increased the oxidation lag phase from < 1 day to > 12 days during subsequent storage on ice (0–1 °C) of minced or intact co-products, respectively, even when the antioxidant solutions were re-used up to 10 times. The dipping also reduced microbiological growth and total volatile basic nitrogen, but the effect became weaker with an increased number of re-using cycles. The presented dipping strategies could hereby facilitate more diversified end use of herring co-products from current fish meal to high-quality minces, protein isolates, or oils for the food industry.

Enzyme-Assisted Extraction of Fish Oil from Whole Fish and by-Products of Baltic Herring (Clupea harengus membras)

Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) is one of the most abundant commercially caught fish species from the Baltic Sea. Despite the high content of fat and omega-3 fatty acids, the consumption of Baltic herring has decreased dramatically over the last four decades, mostly due to the small sizes and difficulty in processing. At the same time there is an increasing global demand for fish and fish oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This study aimed to investigate enzyme-assisted oil extraction as an environmentally friendly process for valorizing the underutilized fish species and by-products to high quality fish oil for human consumption. Three different commercially available proteolytic enzymes (Alcalase®, Neutrase® and Protamex®) and two treatment times (35 and 70 min) were investigated in the extraction of fish oil from whole fish and by-products from filleting of Baltic herring. The oil quality and stability were studied with peroxide- and p-anisidine value analyses, fatty acid analysis with GC-FID, and volatile compounds with HS-SPME-GC-MS. Overall, longer extraction times led to better oil yields but also increased oxidation of the oil. For whole fish, the highest oil yields were from the 70-min extractions with Neutrase and Protamex. Protamex extraction with 35 min resulted in the best fatty acid composition with the highest content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) but also increased oxidation compared to treatment with other enzymes. For by-products, the highest oil yield was obtained from the 70-min extraction with Protamex without significant differences in EPA and DHA contents among the oils extracted with different enzymes. Oxidation was lowest in the oil produced with 35-min treatment using Neutrase and Protamex. This study showed the potential of using proteolytic enzymes in the extraction of crude oil from Baltic herring and its by-products. However, further research is needed to optimize enzymatic processing of Baltic herring and its by-products to improve yield and quality of crude oil.

Stock collapse and its effect on species interactions: cod and herring in the Norwegian-Barents Seas system as an example

Both the Norwegian Spring Spawning herring (Clupea harengus) and the Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua) are examples of how the overexploitation of marine fish populations was leading to a strong reduction even so stock collapse, with a strong decline in the associated fisheries, followed by a recovery. Cod and herring are both part of the Barents Sea ecosystem, which experienced major warming events in the early (1920-1940) and late 20th century. While the collapse or near collapse of these stocks seems to be linked to instability created by overfishing and climate, the difference of population dynamics before and after is not fully understood. In particular, it is unclear how the changes in population dynamics before and after the collapses are associated with biotic interactions. The combination of the availability of unique long-term time series for herring and cod makes it a well-suited study system to investigate the effects of collapse. We examine how species interactions may differently affect the herring and cod population dynamic before and after a collapse. Particularly we explore, using a GAM modelling approach, how herring could affect cod and reciprocally. We found that the effect on herring of cod biomass that was generally positive (i.e., covariation) became negative after the collapse (i.e., predation or competition). Likewise a change occurred for the cod, the juvenile herring biomass that had no effect before the collapse had a negative one after. Our results indicate that population collapses may lead to altered inter-specific interactions as well as altered response to abiotic environmental variations. While the stocks are at similar abundance levels before and after the collapses the system is potentially different in its functioning and may require different management action.