The aquaculture industry has found a novel use for salmon blood which could improve the health of millions of people.
For decades the industry has been working on transforming blood into a useful product and now Norwegian salmon farmer, Lerøy believes it has cracked it with a food supplement which makes full use of an easily-absorbed form of iron.
According to the company, the new supplement, named SalmoFer, is not just the world’s first iron ingredient from salmon, but also the first of its kind.
“To our knowledge, this is the only commercially available iron ingredient from marine raw materials,” explained Mats Trones, who heads the 100% Fish department at Lerøy.
SalmoFer makes use of the protein haemoglobin in the salmon blood, which is naturally rich in heme iron. It is more easily absorbed than other forms of iron, reducing side effects such as an upset stomach, constipation and stomach pain, which many people experience when taking iron supplements.
Moreover, its absorption is not affected by drinking coffee, tea or wine, nor by consuming dairy products.
Sustainability
According to research by SINTEF, the aquaculture industry makes good use of its raw materials, using around 94% with only blood remaining. How to use 100% of materials has been a challenge for the industry for the past 20 years.
The 100% Fish department, which is behind the new product, was established with that in mind. The department will work on developing and bringing to market innovative products made from Lerøy’s own raw ingredients.
“I cannot give away too much, but I can say that we are already working on several exciting projects, both internally at Lerøy and in partnership with third parties,” concluded Trones.
