October 5,  2020

Nofima: Salmon blood can help fight anaemia

A unique iron powder from salmon blood is more easily absorbed by the human body than iron salts, according to Nofima, the Norwegian institute for applied research in the fields of fisheries, aquaculture and food research.

This may turn out to be a better option for patients with anaemia. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around half of all anaemia cases are caused by iron deficiency. A number of other patient groups are also recommended to take iron supplements.

When Norwegian salmon is shipped from the slaughterhouses to eventually reach dinner plates all over the world, the salmon slaughterhouses are left with huge amounts of salmon blood. An entire 36,000 tonnes of salmon blood is discarded annually - it is in fact the only part of the salmon which is currently not utilised.

Haemoglobin in salmon blood is biologically available, and would be well suited for the human body, Nofima said.

Haemoglobin is the most commonly used ferrous molecule used in iron supplements. It is usually extracted from pigs and livestock. Iron salts from plants are also used in supplements, but are not as easily absorbed by the body.

"We wanted to investigate whether we could extract haemoglobin from the salmon blood in order to use it in iron supplements", said Nofima research director Ragnhild Dragøy.

Along with colleagues from the Nofima department of marine biotechnology, Norinnova, and participants from the University of Tromsø, Dragøy has tested various methods for utilising the blood from the salmon slaughterhouses.

According to Nofima, its experiments have yielded results. The experiments from the laboratory were passed on to Biotep - the National Facility for Marine Bioprocessing, where the process was scaled up on par with industrial production, as well as to a pilot facility that Catapult Life Science disposed of at Fornebu. Using these new methods, scientists have managed to manufacture a unique iron powder.

The blood powder has been tested on humans at a small scale with very promising results, and more comprehensive clinical testing is being set up in the future.

An informal "tasting session" also held recently when Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen, the Norwegian Fisheries and Seafood Minister, visited Nofima's head office in Tromsø. The minister was presented the research – and even got to taste the result.

"There is a reason why we allocate money to Nofima and the Institute of Marine Research. The whole world is interested in sustainable management of marine resources, and we have highly skilled research environments in Norway that have great cooperation with the aquaculture and fishing sectors,"  Ingebrigtsen said.

The key advantage of the iron supplement is that it may be consumed by various consumers, Nofima said. As some vegetarians and certain religious groups do not wish to consume iron supplements containing haemoglobin from land animals, a salmon-based supplement might provide a better alternative than supplements based on iron salts. This would provide opportunities to generate profits and reduce costs among salmon producers.

However, challenges remain before the salmon industry can start serious production of iron powder. The blood has to be properly collected, and both taste properties and recipes require further work. It will also be important to consider the results from the more extensive clinical trials, Nofima said.

"...we are particularly excited about being able to exploit a valuable resource which until now has been wasted. Contributing to increased sustainability in food production is a key driving force for our research", said Dragøy.

- Nofima