Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals from Fish and Fish Wastes

Ramasamy Santhanam, Santhanam Ramesh, Subramanian Nivedhitha, Subbiah Balasundari

• Verlag: Apple Academic Press
• Jahr: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781000400960
• Auflage: 1
• Thema: Medicine
• Thema: Pharmacology

This comprehensive book brings together experts from both the marine science and pharmacy disciplines to relay important aspects on the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical values of 175 species of bony and cartilaginous fishes as well as the uses of fish processing byproducts and wastes.Presented in an easy-to-read style, the volume provides precise identification of freshwater and marine fishes possessing pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds along with over 180 photographs. Aspects covered include biology, ecology, diagnostic features, and pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds along with their activities for each of the fish included. The book details the bioactive compounds, including fish muscle proteins, peptides, collagen and gelatin, fish oil, etc., from such species, as well as the bioactive peptides that are derived from various fish muscle proteins, which have various biological activities, including cardio protective, antihypertensive, anticancer, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. Also discussed are the nutritional benefits of fish consumption, which are largely due to the presence of proteins, unsaturated essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. The waste products obtained during fish processing are also a potential source of bioactive peptides that can be used as a source of nitrogen and amino acids, which have immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antitrombotic, and antihypertensive properties. This volume provides the information needed to tap into these vast pharmaceutical and nutraceutical benefits. Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals from Fish and Fish Wastes will be of great use for students and researchers of disciplines such as pharmaceutical sciences, marine/fisheries sciences, marine microbiology, and marine biotechnology. It will also be a standard reference for libraries of colleges and universities and a guide for pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of new drugs from fishes and their wastes.

CHAPTER 1 Introduction

ABSTRACT

This chapter deals with the importance of fish in human nutrition; marine pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds and their present status; and on the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical values of fish wastes and their by-products, such as fish protein powder, fish protein hydrolyzates, and fish oils.

Among aquatic biotopes, seas and oceans rank first owing to their vast area compared to freshwater habitats. While the seas and oceans cover 70 % of the earth’s surface, the freshwater biotopes viz. rivers, lakes, ponds, and other related habitats cover just 1% of the Earth’s surface. Further, the seas and oceans occupy 90% of the biosphere. Among the vertebrates, fish comprise 28,600 species. Of these species, 95% are bony fishes, mostly teleosts; about 50 species of agnathans (jawless fishes); and 800 are cartilaginous fish species. Marine biotopes harbor 58% of fishes while 41% are freshwater fish, and the remaining 1.0% is diadromous (Ullah and T. Ahmad, 2014).

1.1 FISH AND HUMAN NUTRITION

Fish, the nature’s superfood, plays an important role in human nutrition. Fish is not only a source of proteins and healthy fats but also a unique source of essential nutrients, including long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, vitamin D, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, iodine, and phosphorus. Protein is present in fish diets in the form of simple proteins with different essential amino acids. They have a fine taste, are easily digestible, and have a high growth, which upholds value. The fish fats grant more energy as compared to other animals. Vitamin D, which is generally missing from cattle meat, is present in the flesh of fish. Of the required vitamins, 14% can be attained from fish use. Different studies have shown that low fat, lean fish meat is better than mutton, beef, and even poultry for human health. Small fish species are the main source of protein and most of the fat-soluble vitamins. Specifically in many developing countries of the world, the rural people are completely relying on fish food sources solely (Ullah and Ahmad, 2014). Fish plays an important role in fighting hunger and malnutrition. The multiple benefits of fatty fish high in omega-3s and small fish eaten whole containing nutrients in the skin and bones clearly illustrate seafood’s irreplaceable nutritional value. In many developing countries, fish is the main or only source of animal protein and is essential for providing micronutrients to vulnerable populations. For instance, goiter is found in areas where iodized salt is unavailable, but the consumption of fish and the natural iodine it contains could help reduce these cases. Eating fish once or twice a week may also reduce the risk of stroke, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic conditions. Consuming one hundred grams of small pelagic fish, such as sardines or anchovies, once a week will more than cover the needs of omega-3 for a person in coastal areas (Abbey, et al., 2017). Further, for inland people, two meals a week of most carps will be adequate, and no fish oil is needed in their feed in order to become a good source of beneficial omega-3 oils (Toppe, 2014).

1.1.1 FISH CONSUMPTION IN THE WORLD

Fish formed 16.6% of the animal protein in the human diet (Ghaly et al., 2013). As on 2019, Asia ranked first in the per capita fish consumption (25.1 kg) followed by North America (23.7 kg), Europe ( 21.6 kg), South America (10.7kg ), and Africa (9.8 kg) (Shahbandeh, 2019).

Marine pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds and their present status: Among the marine species, invertebrates like sponges and cnidarians have been extensively explored in the last decades for their novel bioactive natural products or pharmaceutical compounds. On the other hand, fish are the little-studied group and their pharmaceutical and nutraceutical properties are largely limited to their by-products such as collagens/gelatin, oil, bones, powder, and so on, derived from their wastes. Pharmaceuticals work only after the onset of diseases and nutraceuticals help in the prevention and retardation of diseases. The key difference between nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products is that nutraceutical products are not required to undergo the same testing and regulations as pharmaceutical products. Pharmaceuticals are provided under prescription from certified physicians for purchase while nutraceuticals do not require the surpervision of health professionals.

1.2 FISH WASTES AND BY-PRODUCTS

“Fish wastes” include fish species having no or low commercial value; undersized commercial species; and fins, heads, skin, and viscera discarded by fish-processing industries. The problem of unused/underutilized fish wastes which are estimated at about 25% of the fish catch has increased in the last years and it has become a global concern. To overcome the environmental impact that fish wastes, there is an urgent need to convert these wastes into potential source of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. From the unused/underutilized fish wastes, a significant amount of proteins (enzymes, collagen), protein hydrolysates, lipids, and so on, could be produced with wide biotechnological applications (Caruso, 2016).

1.2.1 FISH PROTEIN POWDER

It is a potential source of several minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, and essential amino acids.

1.2.2 FISH PROTEIN HYDROLYZATES

Although fish protein hydrolyzate is used as a protein supplement, fish collagen hydrolysate produced from the skins of wild deep-sea ocean fish such as cod, haddock, and pollock serves as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Further, the peptides derived from the fish protein hydrolyzates have been reported to possess antioxidant, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial peptides.

1.2.3 FISH OILS

The world fish oil production has been reported to range from 5.5 to 7.5 million tons/year. The notable fish oil-producing countries are Peru and Chile, which contribute to the 52% and 13% (https://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/vitamins-minerals/8-advantages-of-fish-fatty-acids.html). The health benefits of fish oils include the following:

1. Anticancer property: Consumption of fish oil containing omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of cancer.
2. Cardiovascular effects: Eating fatty fishes twice a week improves cardiovascular health by reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease.
3. Reduces dementia risk: Weekly consumption of sea fish lowers the risk of developing both dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in elderly people.
4. Antidiabetic property: Eating fatty fish helps blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
5. Anti-inflammatory activity: Regular eating of fatty fish helps in relieving inflammatory conditions like autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and on.
6. Brain and eye health: Omega-3 fatty acids of fish oils have contributed to the health of both brain tissue and the retina in humans.
7. Anti-asthma: Fatty fish possess anti-asthma properties especially in children.

1.3 FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

Advanced fish preservation and processing methods are the need of the hour to mitigate the problem of fish wastes. Further, biotechnological applications have to be popularized to convert the fish wastes into value-added by-products.

KEYWORDS

• human nutrition
• pharmaceutical values
• nutraceutical values
• fish wastes
• by-products
• fish protein powder
• fish oils

CHAPTER 2 Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals from Fish and Their Activities

ABSTRACT

This chapter deals with the biomedically important bony fishes and elas-mobranchs along with their profile. Although the profile has the common name, global distribution, and biology and ecology of individual species, the biomedical aspects deal with the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds derived from each fish species along with their bioactivities.

2.1 BONY FISHES (PHYLUM: CHORDATA; SUBPHYLUM: VERTEBRATA; CLASS: OSTEICTHYES)

2.1.1 STURGEONS (ORDER: ACIPENSERIFORMES; FAMILY: ACIPENSERIDAE)

Acipenser persicus Borodin, 1897

Source: A. Abdoli. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29530383

Common name(s): Persian sturgeon

Global distribution: Temperate; Eurasia: Caspian basin; eastern Black Sea

Habitat: This demersal, anadromous species largely inhabits coastal and estuarine (brackish water) zones at the sea.

Maximum length and weight: 255 cm; 70.0 kg

Food and feeding: This species feeds mainly on gammarid amphipods, mysid shrimp, and chironomid flies.

Uses: Commercial fisheries exist for this species. The cooked fillets of this species serve as a potential source of proteins for 10–12 years old and adults (Alipour et al., 2010). Further, the values of concentration (microgram per gram, wet weight) of heavy metals (such as Cr, 0.2...