Fish waste finds new life as high-value biomedical material

Scientists at ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT), Kochi, have developed a patent-pending process to extract high-value biomedical mat...

What Happened

Scientists at ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT), Kochi, have developed a patent-pending process to extract high-value biomedical materials from fish processing waste — materials including collagen, gelatin, chitosan, and protein hydrolysates.
The technology converts fish processing by-products — such as scales, skin, bones, fins, heads, and crustacean shells — which are typically discarded or incinerated, into pharmaceutical-grade and biomedical-grade inputs.
ICAR-CIFT has established India's first shrimp shell biorefinery, which processes two tonnes of shrimp shell waste daily (400 tonnes annually) to produce chitin, chitosan, and shrimp protein hydrolysate — materials in high demand across pharmaceutical, agricultural, and cosmetic industries.
The development aligns with the broader national push toward a Blue Economy and circular bioeconomy — maximising the value extracted from aquatic resources while minimising waste and environmental harm.
The institute has been actively collaborating with industry stakeholders to facilitate technology transfer from laboratory to commercial scale.

Static Topic Bridges

Biomedical Materials from Fish Waste: What and Why

Fish processing generates enormous quantities of by-products. Approximately 70% of fish is processed before sale, and more than half the weight of fresh fish — including heads, scales, skin, bones, viscera, and fins — becomes by-product waste. These by-products are conventionally buried or incinerated, causing environmental and public health problems. However, fish processing waste is rich in bioactive compounds with high commercial and biomedical value.

Collagen: A structural protein extracted from fish skin, scales, and bones; fish collagen offers advantages over bovine or porcine collagen — no risk of zoonotic disease transmission, no religious or cultural restrictions, and superior bioavailability. Used in wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds, drug delivery matrices, and cosmetics.
Gelatin: A partially hydrolysed form of collagen; used in pharmaceutical capsule shells, wound care, and food.
Chitosan: Derived from chitin found in crustacean shells (shrimp, crab); used in biomedical wound dressings, drug delivery systems, agriculture (biopesticides), and water purification. A key output of ICAR-CIFT's shrimp shell biorefinery.
Protein hydrolysates: Bioactive peptides derived from fish processing waste; have demonstrated antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic properties in research settings.
Ulvan gelatin scaffolds: Derived from marine seaweeds; ICAR-CIFT has also developed these for biomedical tissue engineering applications.

Connection to this news: The ICAR-CIFT patent-pending process specifically targets the extraction of these high-value compounds from waste streams that currently have zero or negative economic value (disposal costs), transforming a liability into a high-margin biomedical input.

ICAR-CIFT: Mandate and Role

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT), located in Kochi, Kerala, was established in 1957. It is the only technology institute under ICAR that covers the full spectrum of fisheries — from harvest operations to post-harvest processing and value addition — and is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

ICAR-CIFT's mandate includes research in fishing technology, fish processing, fish product development, packaging, quality assurance, and fisheries extension.
The institute operates under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which functions under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.
ICAR-CIFT has developed over 100 technologies for the fisheries sector, many transferred to industry.
The institute actively supports India's marine fisheries sector, which contributes to export earnings; India is one of the world's top five fish-producing and fish-exporting nations.
India's fish production exceeded 14 million tonnes in 2023-24, generating export revenues of approximately ₹60,000 crore; by-product valorisation could significantly increase per-unit revenue.

Connection to this news: ICAR-CIFT's research mandate directly encompasses post-harvest technology and value addition — making biomedical material extraction from fish waste a natural extension of its institutional role, and the patent reflects the institute's contribution to India's biotechnology and Blue Economy goals.

Blue Economy and Circular Bioeconomy

The Blue Economy refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem. India's Blue Economy policy framework, outlined in documents such as the "Blue Economy Policy Framework" (draft, 2021), identifies fisheries, aquaculture, marine biotechnology, and seabed minerals as priority sectors.

India has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of approximately 2.37 million square kilometres — one of the largest in the world — and a coastline of about 8,118 km.
The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying launched the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) in 2020 with an outlay of ₹20,050 crore over five years, to boost sustainable fisheries including through modernisation of post-harvest infrastructure.
Circular bioeconomy in fisheries specifically refers to applying biorefinery principles — extracting maximum value from every part of the fish or crustacean, leaving minimal waste — mirroring industrial ecology concepts.
ICAR-CIFT's shrimp shell biorefinery is India's first industrial-scale demonstration of this circular bioeconomy approach for the fisheries sector.

Connection to this news: Converting fish processing waste into biomedical-grade materials reduces environmental disposal burden, improves revenue per tonne of fish processed, and contributes to both the Blue Economy (value from marine resources) and the circular economy (zero-waste processing) — twin policy priorities of the Indian government.

Biotechnology Regulation and Patent System in India

A patent-pending process indicates that ICAR-CIFT has filed a patent application with the Indian Patent Office (IPO) under the Patents Act, 1970. Patent protection for biotechnology innovations in India has evolved significantly since the 1970 Act was amended by the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005 to comply with TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) obligations under the WTO.

The Patents Act, 1970 (as amended) grants a 20-year patent term from the filing date for inventions that are novel, inventive, and industrially applicable.
Section 3(d) of the Indian Patents Act — a TRIPS-compliant but India-specific provision — prevents evergreening by restricting patents on new forms of known substances unless efficacy enhancement is demonstrated.
Biotechnology patents involving extraction processes (as opposed to products of nature themselves) are generally patentable in India if the process involves an inventive step.
ICAR and other publicly funded research institutions are entitled to file patents under the Intellectual Property of Scientific and Industrial Research (IPISR) guidelines, retaining institutional IP while licensing technology to industry.
India's Department of Biotechnology (DBT) supports biomedical material research through schemes like the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

Connection to this news: The "patent-pending" status of ICAR-CIFT's process signals both the novelty of the extraction methodology and the institute's intention to commercialise the technology — a key step in translating publicly funded research into Blue Economy and biomedical industry value.

Key Facts & Data

ICAR-CIFT established: 1957, Kochi, Kerala; under ICAR (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare).
Shrimp shell biorefinery: India's first; processes 2 tonnes/day (400 tonnes/year) of shrimp shell waste.
Key products: Chitin, chitosan, collagen, gelatin, shrimp protein hydrolysate.
~70%: Share of fish weight that undergoes processing before sale.
>50%: Share of fresh fish weight that becomes by-product waste during processing.
India's fish production: Exceeded 14 million tonnes in 2023-24.
India's fish export revenue: Approximately ₹60,000 crore (approx. $7 billion).
India's EEZ: ~2.37 million sq km; coastline ~8,118 km.
PMMSY: Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana — ₹20,050 crore outlay (2020–2025) for fisheries modernisation.
Patents Act, 1970: Governs patent protection in India; 20-year patent term from filing date.
Section 3(d): India-specific anti-evergreening provision in Patents Act.
Chitosan applications: Wound dressings, drug delivery, biopesticides, water purification.
Fish collagen advantage: No zoonotic risk, no religious/cultural barriers, superior bioavailability vs. bovine/porcine collagen.