102 



jiriate measures through the Sea Grant or 

 other programs to bring concerted attention 

 to the transfer of information to fishermen. 



Fish Protein Concentrate 



A program is underway to perfect low-cost 

 commercial processes for the joroduction of 

 fish protein concentrate (FPC) as one ele- 

 luent in tlie attack on the worldwide problem 

 of animal protein deficiencies. However, a 

 iuunber of serious misiuiderstandings about 

 the nature of the program still exist, as do a 

 number of discouraging obstacles to large- 

 scale production. 



The term fish protein concentrate covers 

 a large family of products, some already 

 used in large quantities while others remain 

 in the embryonic stage. Fishmeal used in 

 livestock feed is a form of fish protein con- 

 centrate. World production of fish protein 

 concentrate in this form has grown from 

 aliout r)00,00n tons in 1964 to more than 4 

 million tons in 1966. 



The objective of the present Federal FPC 

 program is production of a concentrate that 

 can be used as a protein supplement in soups, 

 breads, and beverages for direct human con- 

 sumption. This use requires a substantially 

 larger reduction in oil content and in certain 

 other types of undesired elements and more 

 stringent sanitary standards than are re- 

 quired for fishmeal production. 



Thus far, research and development efforts 

 by both U.S. industry and the Federal Gov- 

 ernment have concentrated on producing a 

 tasteless, odorless commodity that could be 

 stored over long periods of time, could be 

 transported cheaply, could overcome aes- 

 thetic objections, and coidd ha\e the widest 

 range of uses as a dietary supplement. The 

 researcli effort has concentrated on processes 

 using such lean fish as hake that are readily 

 available and lend tliemselves to the produc- 

 tion of the desired kinds of concentrate. 



Tastes vary throughout the world, and 

 many different kinds of fish protein concen- 

 trate ultimately will be developed to meet 

 the demand. There is no fixed degree to which 

 taste and odor must be removed or grittiness 

 reduced. The keeping qualities of the product 

 need not be uniform, and the product will 

 not be consumed in the same form all over 

 the world. The very high standards initially 

 established as a research goal may not need 

 to be followed in the production of all kinds 

 of fish protein concentrate for all purposes. 



FPC will find its most important use as a 

 dietary supplement in areas of the world 

 where consvnnption of proteins, especially 

 animal proteins, is chronically below mini- 

 mum nutritional requirements. Unfortu- 

 nately, these are the very areas where sophis- 

 ticated market development techniques and 

 organization are scarce and where demand 

 for a tasteless, odorless, colorless dietary sup- 

 plement is particularly difficult to develop. 

 It is likely, therefore, that FPC will be used 

 to alleviate protein malnutrition through in- 

 stitutional feeding programs, supported by 

 governments, for some time to come. 



The United States has undertaken to sup- 

 ply limited quantities of FPC to foreign 

 countries through the Agency for Interna- 

 tional Development. This commitment may 

 be very difficult to fulfill, for neither industry 

 nor BCF has yet resolved all the techni- 

 cal problems that stand in the way of com- 

 mercial production at competitive prices. 

 Both of the processes approved by the Food 

 and Drug Administration still require the 

 development of a technique for efficient re- 

 covery of the solvent used and less denatura- 

 tion of the protein to permit more flexibility 

 in blending with formulated foods. 



There are no insuperable barriers, but the 

 budget of the FPC program must be in- 

 creased sufficiently to carry through its pres- 

 ent plans, adapt the initial concentrating 



