Zurich, Switzerland-based tilapia producer Regal Springs celebrated its first time exhibiting at Seafood Expo Global by launching Natural Additions brand of byproducts.
“Many of you will ask, ‘What are the Natural Additions?’ In the good old days, we called those byproducts,” Regal Springs CEO Alois Hofbauer said at the launch event on 23 April at the 2024 Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain.
The product range includes belly meat, fillet trimmings, carcasses and frames, fishmeal and fish oil, scales, skin, heads, and eyes, mince meat, and eyes. The company is working to develop markets for the range and each product specifically, the company said.
Regal Springs raises premium tilapia in lakes in Indonesia, Honduras, and Mexico, without the use of chemicals, growth hormones, or antibiotics. Its fish are BRC-, Best Aquaculture Practices-, and Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified.
The company is also developing artisanal products from tilapia byproducts, including leather belts, backpacks, and more.
The brand is aiming to utilize 100 percent of the tilapia fish body by 2030 as part of its support for the Blue Food Movement, as defined by the Blue Food Assessment (BFA), an international initiative joining more than 100 scientists from over 25 institutions.
“Byproducts are an old concept generally seen as waste, but byproducts are not waste. They are a most valuable resource with multiple dimensions and we look to further optimize the value in every sense of the word,” Hofbauer said.
Tilapia skin has the potential to heal wounds for both humans and pets, according to Regal Springs. The skin serves as a sustainable resource and presents a natural and effective alternative for treating burns.
“Tilapia skins are a good example; in various studies, tilapia skins have been found beneficial as wound care material so we now look to realize their all-important medical value,” Hofbauer said. "All part of our overall strategy - 'Doing Well by Doing Good.'"
