By-products of tuna processing

Tuna is mainly marketed in fresh, chilled, frozen or canned form. However, the tuna loin and canning industry generates a considerable amount of by-products and the practice of utilization of these by-products varies in different geographical regions. In this publication, there are case studies of utilization from Asia, Europe and Latin America. Thailand is one of the largest producers of canned tuna and the by-products are mainly utilized as tuna meal, tuna oil and tuna soluble concentrate. In the Philippines, most of the canning industry by-products are converted to tuna meal, but black meat is also canned and exported to neighboring countries. Edible tuna by-products from the fresh/chilled tuna sector, like heads and fins, are used for making soup locally and visceral organs are utilized to make a local delicacy or for fish sauce production. Scrape meat and trimmings are also used for human consumption. In Spain and Ecuador, by-products go to the fish and oil industry and the increasing demand for these commodities, due to the growth of the aquaculture industry, drives the fishmeal and fish oil industry. However, since these are used mainly as animal feeds, they indirectly contribute to food production.