Our beautiful Mediterranean Waters

Despite the stay-at-home limitation which makes it impossible to get into the labs, we are working hard in other ways.  Today is International Mother Earth Day and it is reminding us how important it is to protect our waters.  Bythos is working to find ways to put the millions of tonnes of residues from the EU fisheries industry to good use through the definition of extraction protocols and formulas suited to industry.  If the Blue Economy can diversify and add new skills, we can create value along the production chain.

Marine living resources are a well-documented source of extremely interesting bioactive ingredients. Chitosan, saponins, triterpenes (including squalene), astaxanthin, hydrolysed collagen, lipids and a whole range of peptides are just a few examples of the ingredients of great interest to the pharmaceuticals sector, all with considerable bioactivities, such as anti-tumour, antibacterial, anticoagulant, antioxidant and anti-immunoinflammatory properties found in abundance in residues from fish and shellfish processing plants.

If we can show people that the residues of living marine resources are such a valuable resource, then attitudes and awareness towards these resources change.  Value is created along the production chain, returns to the fisheries sector increase leading to a potential reduction in overexploitation of waters, the general public will take better care of the marine environment and costs to the environment and the economy from waste disposal fall.