Rediscovering Fishery Byproducts: Securing Domestic Production Technology for Healthy Functional Foods and Cosmetics such as Knee Cartilage Regeneration Product

 

Successful acquisition of domestic production technology and industrialization of high value-added PDRN and proteoglycan from salmon byproducts

 

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) announced on Monday, March 17 that it has successfully industrialized and commercialized biopharmaceuticals and functional cosmetics using fishery byproducts and signed supply contracts with more than 50 domestic department stores and export contracts worth approximately USD 500,000.

 

 The Ministry has implemented the Development of Technology to Convert Fishery Byproducts into Biomaterial project 2022-2027) since 2022 to secure original technologies for commercializing high value-added marine and fishery byproducts such as fish heads and seaweed roots (pharmaceutical and food raw materials, cosmetics materials, etc.) and industrializing them.

 

 As part of the project, the research team led by Dr. Oh Cheol-hong of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) developed Korean production technology for PDRN (Polydeoxyribonucleotide)* and proteoglycan** using salmon byproducts (especially male gonads and heads) jointly with the Korea Food Research Institute (KFRI) and Ogun Ecotech.

 

 * DNA fragments that are mainly extracted from salmon testes and developed for cell regeneration, wound healing, exfoliation, wrinkle improvement, whitening, hair growth, and hair loss prevention

 

 ** A substance formed by the combination of chondroitin sulfate—a component of joint cartilage—and proteins. It helps regenerate knee cartilage and has strong skin moisturizing effects.

 

 Although PDRN and proteoglycan are crucial materials in various industries such as biopharmaceuticals, functional cosmetics, health functional foods, and quasi-drugs, more than 90% are imported. Therefore, domestic technology development has prioritized revitalizing sustainable blue food as well as the bio-industry.

 

 Unlike existing process technologies, the newly developed process applies a patented eco-friendly process instead of ethanol extraction. This eliminates the need for an ethanol extraction facility subject to the Act on the Safety Control of Hazardous Substances, Framework Act on Firefighting Services, and Building Act; thus enhancing productivity and price competitiveness, which is expected to be advantageous in industrialization.

 

 Last year, Ogun Ecotech registered domestic and international patents related to the extraction of PDRN and proteoglycan and launched commercialized products such as cosmetics (multi-balm), shampoo, and cartilage regeneration health functional foods, which are supplied to 50 department stores nationwide. The company recently signed a USD 500,000 export contract (powder raw material) with a Brazilian company, and it is discussing further applications for PDRN and proteoglycan.

 

 The research team has also begun developing standard production processes and new materials to enhance industrial productivity and stabilize supply costs.

 

 “As Korea consumes a high amount of seafood, a significant amount of fishery byproducts is generated in this country, and it is necessary to utilize these byproducts as high value-added resources instead of letting them go to waste. We will continue to expand research on converting fishery byproducts into high value-added raw materials to minimize environmental pollution and enhance industrialization potential,” Minister Kang Do-hyung said.