Tilapia Whole-Fish Processing

Product Type: Fisheries –tilapia Stage: Production & Harvesting, Handling & Storage, Processing & Packaging, Distribution & Market Problem: Optimizing waste and loss minimization in the Chinese Taipei tilapia production chain Solution: Minimize waste by developing value-add industries utilizing by-products of tilapia production for food and non-food production Production & Harvesting: 2014 global tilapia production is estimated to have reached 4.85 million metric tons with global sales reaching approximately 10 billion USD. Production has developed over 70 years with whole-fish utilization being applied to most of the Chinese Taipei tilapia sector.

Production & Harvesting, Handling & Storage: New technology was introduced to farms, logistics, and processing plants for low-loss harvesting and transportation. Live fish transportation is used for movement to processing and market; HACCP standards are implemented for processing to reduce waste and increase usable by-products.

Processing & Packaging: HAACP standards in processing improve extraction rates of valuable substances; zero-waste processing redirects processing waste to produce fishmeal, fish oil, gelatin, collagen, etc.

Distribution & Market: Multiple value-added products for non-food products are derived from the production chain and additional food forms of tilapia fish are also produced – fillet forms, blocks, sticks, etc.