Production of seafood flavour formulations from enzymatic hydrolysates of fish by-products

- Proteases were used to derive amino-acid-rich ingredients from by-products.
- Combinations of peptidases lead to the highest concentration in free amino acids.
- 4-heptenal and 2, 4-heptadienal were the main volatile generated.
- Low-value fish materials as an alternative for the fish industry.

Amino acid-rich extracts derived from fish by-products were utilised to generate flavour model systems with added glucose and/or fish oil.Combination of endo and exo peptidases resulted in the most marked increased in free amino acids, particularly for leucine, lysine and glutamic acid (48.3 ± 3.4 to 1423.4 ± 59.6, 43.3 ± 1.2 to 1485.4 ± 25.6 and 143.6 ± 21.7 to 980.9 ± 63.6 μg/g respectively).Main volatile products formed after heating the systems were 4-heptenal, 2,4-heptadienal, and some pyrazines. Increased concentrations of 1-octen-3-ol or 1-hepten-4-ol were also observed in the heated systems compared to the controls. All of these volatile compounds have been identified among the volatile profile of cooked seafood.Conversion of low value fish derived materials such as fish powder, into more valuable products such as flavour precursors and subsequently flavour compounds might be a commercially viable proposition for the fish industry.