Potential for commercialisation of bioactive peptides from tuna red meat: A techno-economic analysis

Seafood byproduct is upgraded as certified waste on realisation of the bio-potent compounds it possesses, which has immense nutraceutical and therapeutical applications. Among the various possibilities to recover valuable nutrients from the discarded material, a major and efficient option is the production of fish protein hydrolysate/fish peptides. Optimised protocols for deriving peptides with tailor-made properties, helps to explore its utilisation potential and paves path for its industrial production. The present study addresses the feasibility with regard to the commercial production of peptides derived from the canning discards viz, red meat from yellowfin tuna. The protocols previously identified for tuna protein hydrolysate (TPH) production with optimum antioxidant properties, in laboratory-scale evaluations, were used to model large-scale production in pilot facilities. The parameters viz, cost of raw material, equipment, labour cost and final product price were derived based on the actual conditions prevailing in the market. Study results indicated good potential with regard to its commercialisation with respect to economic indices like net present value, internal rate of return and benefit cost ratio which had values of `63,908,381, 50% and 1.26, respectively. The sensitivity analysis also indicated that the commercial production is economically viable even with potential risks of raw material costs as well as selling price of fish protein hydrolysates.