The present work aims to a promising re-utilization of the massive waste derived from the tuna fishing industry, for which by-products can represent more than 50% of the original material. Due to the considerable content in polyunsaturated fatty acids and noble proteins, such wastes can be used as primary source of functional ingredients in the production of nutraceuticals. The composition of the lipid and protein tuna fractions was investigated by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods (in wastes and edible parts), and a preliminary characterization of potential bioactive peptides was achieved. Automated sample preparation allowed speeding up the analytical workflow, while allowing for highly sensitive and selective lipid characterization. The ω3 fatty acid content was found higher in waste products compared to the muscle, in terms of fatty acids as well as complex lipids. As for peptides, extraction by isoelectric solubilization/precipitation was performed, followed by enzymatic digestion and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Furthermore, the use of bioinformatics tools highlighted the presence of potential antimicrobial peptides in the samples investigated.
Keywords: automated sample preparation; by-products; circular economy; nutraceuticals; omega-3 fatty acids.
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