Fish oil extraction from yellowfin tuna heads by enzymatic hydrolysis method

     A study on the fish oil extraction from yellowfin tuna heads by hydrolysis method using Protamex enzyme was carried out. The parameters of hydrolysis process, fish oil yield and chemical quality of tuna head oil were determined. The study results showed that a considerable amount of oil can be extracted from yellowfin tuna eads. The suitable parameters of enzymatic hydrolysis process for recovering fish oil from yellowfin tuna heads were the water/material ratio of 0.5/1, Protamex concentration of 0.5%, hydrolysis temperature of 55°C and hydrolysis time of 1h. High quality of the yellowfin tuna head oil was obtained from enzymatic hydrolysis. This study suggested that the yellowfin tuna heads generated from tuna processing industry could be utilized as a good source for oil recovery. Tuna head oil could be used as a valuable ingredient both in food and aquaculture feed. Key words: Enzymatic hydrolysis, fish oil extraction, oil recovery, yellowfin tuna head.