2 December, 2025
Raising awareness of the sustainable use of marine resources is an important part of the VASEACAD project. On 2 December 2025, the project was presented to a wider audience during an interview broadcast by TRT Trabzon Radio in Türkiye.
The interview featured Prof. Dr. Fatma Telli Karakoç, VASEACAD Project Coordinator at Karadeniz Technical University (KTU), together with Prof. Dr. Feride Sena Sezen from KTU’s Drug and Pharmaceutical Technology Application and Research Centre (İLAFAR) and Prof. Dr. Sevim Köse from the Faculty of Marine Sciences. The discussion introduced listeners to the project’s objectives and explained how scientific research can help make better use of seafood processing by-products.
Making better use of seafood resources
During the interview, the speakers explained that VASEACAD focuses on recovering valuable proteins and bioactive compounds from seafood side streams, residues, unwanted catches and discards that are often underused despite their high nutritional and commercial value.
The project investigates new processing methods that can transform this biomass into products for aquaculture feeds, food and health-related applications. By increasing the value obtained from existing marine resources, VASEACAD supports more sustainable fisheries and aquaculture while reducing waste.
The interview also highlighted one of the project’s distinguishing features: promoting inter-species recycling, where by-products from one fish species can be safely processed into ingredients for feeds used in different aquaculture species, helping to create more circular production systems.
From research to practical solutions
During the interview, the KTU team highlighted the scientific work it will lead within VASEACAD to develop new, higher-value uses for seafood processing by-products.
A major focus of the project is the production of bioactive protein hydrolysates—natural compounds obtained from marine species that may help support muscle and skin health by reducing inflammation. Fish hydrolysates with these specific properties are not yet available on the European market, making this an important area of research with the potential to create new opportunities for both the seafood and health sectors.
The project also responds to a broader challenge faced by the aquaculture industry. Today, by-products from species such as salmon and trout are often processed into relatively low-value products, including fishmeal and fish oil. VASEACAD will investigate how these same raw materials can instead be used to produce bioactive ingredients and functional feed components with greater economic value.
Another objective is to improve the circular use of marine resources through inter-species recycling. Rather than returning processing by-products to the same fish species from which they originated, the project will assess whether feed ingredients produced from sprat can be used in seabass and gilthead seabream farming, while by-products from these Mediterranean species will be evaluated as feed ingredients for trout. This approach aims to improve resource efficiency while supporting sustainable aquaculture practices.
Researchers at Karadeniz Technical University will play a central role in ensuring that these new products are both effective and safe. Their work includes developing food safety procedures for industrial production, assessing the quality of the hydrolysates, monitoring the possible formation of undesirable compounds during processing, and evaluating the biological activity of the resulting products. Laboratory and preclinical studies will investigate their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as their potential benefits for skin and muscle health. These activities will help bridge the gap between laboratory research and future commercial applications.
Karadeniz Technical University’s role in VASEACAD
Karadeniz Technical University (https://www.ktu.edu.tr/en) is one of Türkiye’s leading higher education institutions, with more than 30,000 students and a long-standing reputation for research in marine sciences, fisheries, food technology and environmental studies. Within VASEACAD, researchers from the Faculty of Marine Sciences and the Drug and Pharmaceutical Technology Application and Research Centre (İLAFAR) contribute expertise in seafood quality and safety, protein hydrolysate production, food chemistry, pharmacology and preclinical evaluation of bioactive compounds.
Communicating science beyond the laboratory
Interviews such as this help make research more accessible to the public by explaining how scientific innovation can contribute to a more sustainable seafood sector. Public engagement is an important part of VASEACAD, ensuring that project activities and results are shared not only with the scientific community but also with industry, policymakers and society.
As the project progresses, partners across Europe will continue participating in outreach events, conferences, workshops and media activities to encourage dialogue around sustainable fisheries, aquaculture and the circular blue bioeconomy.
About VASEACAD
VASEACAD (Valorising Seafood Side Streams, Residues, Unwanted Catches and Discards for the Production of Bioactive Protein Hydrolysates and High Added-Value Biomolecules) is a three-year research and innovation project funded by the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP) and co-funded by the European Commission together with the national funding agencies of the participating countries. The project brings together ten organisations from seven European countries to develop sustainable solutions that transform seafood processing side streams into valuable ingredients for food, feed and health applications, supporting Europe’s transition towards a circular and sustainable blue bioeconomy.