Some Fish Products You Did Not Know About!

Fish are aquatic vertebrates which breathe using gills and are poikilothermic (cold-blooded). “Fish” is a term used to refer to lampreys, sharks, coelacanths, and ray-finned fishes, but is not a taxonomic group, which is a clade or group containing a common ancestor and all its descendants. There are many types of fish; Clownfish, Cichlids, Tilapia, Cobia fish, Chimaera, Box, and Bow fish.

One peculiar thing about food scientists is that they have developed unique and complex ways to make certain products, you would be surprised that fish parts or constituents can be found in products you would never imagine them to be! Ladies, can you think of any product of fish in your makeup kit?🤔😉

FISH SILAGE:

Fish silage is used as an ingredient in animal feed and is treated separately from fish meal due mainly to differences in the production process. Fish silage is used mainly in fish feeds and moist feed pellets. During production, the fish is usually minced and mixed with materials that inhibit bacterial growth. The product is stored for a period during which the fish is liquefied by digestive enzymes. Some of the water may be removed via evaporation. The production process for hydrolysates is similar to that of fish silage. Fish silage is a liquid material made from all the fish or its parts that are liquefied by enzymatic action in the presence of acid. The enzymes found in the acidic medium break the fish proteins into smaller soluble units while the acid helps to increase their activity and limit bacterial spoilage. Fish silage is a liquid product made from whole fish or parts of fish that are liquefied by the action of natural enzymes in the fish, in the presence of an added acid. 

Lipstick:

For this one, ladies will be like, wait a minute! Have you wondered what product in lipstick makes it shimmer or shine? Well, it is fish scales! Just as the fish scales make the fish shine and glimmer in the sun, it does the same for lipstick as well as other cosmetic products. Herring seems to be the fish to use for this glimmering addition to cosmetics.

FISH OIL:

Fish oil is the fat or oil that’s extracted from fish tissue. Fish oil comes from many types of fish. Commercial production is usually from oily fish such as herring, tuna, anchovies, and mackerel. However. it’s also sometimes produced from the livers of other fish, as is the case with cod liver oil. African Catfish also yields a good quantity and quality fish oil. It is rich in two important omega-3 fatty acids called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The benefits of fish oil seem to come from its omega-3 and -6 fatty acid content. Fish that are especially rich in these oils include mackerel, herring, tuna, and salmon. The human body does not produce many of its own omega-3 fatty acids. Some fish oil products are approved by the FDA as prescription medications to lower triglycerides levels. Fish oil is also available as a supplement. Fish oil supplements do not contain the same amount of fish oil as prescription products, so they cannot be used in place of prescription products. Fish oil supplements are sometimes used for heart health and mental health, but there is no strong evidence to support most of these uses. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce pain and swelling and also prevent the blood from clotting easily.

Vitamin F:

Yes, you read right, Vitamin F. We know you are familiar with the vitamin ADEK and the B-complex and C, categories that we learnt in school. Vitamin F is better classified as fat – a fat that is essential to our biological process, however, the body can’t synthesize it. It is also known as linoleic acid, an omega-6 essential fatty acid (EFA). It plays a crucial role – in tandem with omega-3 EFAs – in brain function, normal growth, skin and hair regeneration, bone health, and metabolic function.

Gelatin:

Who doesn’t love a hot chocolate with a couple of puffy and fluffy marshmallows? Gelatin is what gives marshmallows their fluffiness and puffiness and if your marshmallows are kosher or halal, it is likely that your marshmallows were made with fish gelatin, which is made from boiling fish skin, bones, and connective tissue. 

Candy:

If you love candies, ice-cream gummy bears etc. you should know that gelatin is a major food additive that is made from collagen, which is found in the skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones of animals. It acts as a whipping agent in marshmallows and soufflés, a binding agent for some meat products, and a thickener in gravies and sauces. Additionally, you can use it as an associate wetting agent in cream-based products and an informative agent in wine and brewage. The gelatin in products like gel desserts, ice creams, gummy bears, marshmallows, and basically anything found in a candy store has fish-by-products in it. To be more specific, fish bones.

Beer and Wine:

Isinglass is a substance obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish. It is a form of collagen used mainly for the clarification or fining of some beer and wine. This membrane is used to filter the yeast extracts out of some of your favourite weekend drinks.

FISHCAKE:

Fish cake (sometimes written as fish cake) is a culinary dish consisting of filleted fish or other seafood minced or ground, mixed with a starchy ingredient, and fried until golden. Fishcakes have also traditionally been made from salted fish (most commonly cod, haddock, or pollock). Fishcakes are also prepared without breadcrumbs or batter and are made with a mixture of cooked fish, potatoes, and occasionally eggs formed into patties and then fried.

FISH CRACKERS:

Yes you read it right! Just the way we have prawn crackers, so also there is Fish crackers. A combination of gelatin, starch fish and seasoning gives the fish crackers. You could always pop it just the way you do for prawn crackers. By the way prawn is a shellfish, invariably prawn crackers is a type of Fish crackers. LOL!😂

Did we miss out on any other unexpected fish-based products? Share with us in the comments section below! See you there.

Author: Damilola Ilupeju, Oluwatobi Adeyemo, Josephine Oluseyi Adebayo.

Graphics: Canva, Timileyin Oladayo

©Food and Agricultural Technology Unit - Pan African Research Group

Edition 1 Volume 4 Article 1