comparatively nominal cost per pound. In view of the extremely high 

 cost of pig and beef pancreas due to their competing uses, the raw 

 material cost of pure pyloric ceca from salmon waste might not be too 



excessive. 



Manufacturing Difficulties 



As previously pointed out, the installation of any comprehensive 

 chemical plant in Alaska would be very costly and its u bsequent operation 

 and maintenance expenses excessive compared to those of plants located 

 in the States. It appears that the most feasible utilization of waste 

 would include preparation of crude concentrates in Alaska with the re- 

 fining processes being carried out in the United Estates. The production 

 of a crude enzymatic powder from pyloric ceca is relatively simple and in- 

 expensive. The fresh ceca need only be defatted and dehydrated at low 

 temperature to yield a product that is five to eight times more active 

 than the usual commercial leather bate. This product could be sold as 

 concentrated bate or shipped to chemical plants in the iitates for the 

 sepiaration and purification of the enzyme constituents. 



Possibility of Preparing Enzymes from Salmon Cannery Waste 



The above discussion of the possibility of preparing enzymes from 

 salmon cannery waste outlines the major aspects of the problem. The in- 

 formation available indicates that salmon waste provides a good source 

 of proteolytic enzymes with commercial utilization of the ceca economically 

 feasible. It should be noted that little information is available con- 

 cerning the properties and characteristics of fish enzymes. From the 

 preliminary investigations carried out, it appears that these enzymes ex- 

 hibit unique features that enhance their utility. For example, the proper- 

 ty of being active at low temperature, found in fish enzymes, might en- 

 joy widespread use in the cold tenderizing of meat or in the preparation 

 of protein hydrolysates where high temperature is an undesirable factor 

 because of the degrading action on the hydrolysate. With enzymes finding 

 increasing use and greater demand in medicine and industry, a new relatively 

 cheap source of hydrolytic enzymes would be of great benefit. 



It should be recognized that the proposals presented in the preceding 

 paragraphs are based upon, and therefore limited to, scientific data al- 

 ready known. Many recent discoveries in biochemistry suggest promising 

 avenues of research with reference to salmon waste. For example, an enzyme 

 termed hyaluronidase, lately isolated from bull testes, exhibits the 

 unique property of increasing a cell's permeability and thus may prove 

 useful in animal husbandry and in the medical treatment of human mal- 

 functions that result in sterility. The salmon testes offer a probable 

 source of this enzyme, but until extensive investigations are carried out, 

 the occurrence and concentration of hyaluronidase in these organs reTiains 

 a matter of conjecture only. It is readily apparent that a great de«l 

 of study including not only applied research, but fundamental investigation 

 also, must be undertaken before all the possibilities are exposed. 



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