REDUCED and Royal Greenland develop prawn side stream upcycling technology
Danish biotech company REDUCED has partnered with seafood supplier Royal Greenland to transform cold-water prawn processing waste into premium taste solutions through fermentation technology.
The collaboration targets prawn shells and heads, which constitute nearly half of cold-water prawn biomass but are typically processed into low-value food and feed ingredients. REDUCED’s proprietary fermentation platform will convert this material into a natural prawn concentrate with enhanced flavour characteristics.
Sustainable processing approach
Royal Greenland, which holds Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for its cold-water prawn fisheries, will provide raw material supply and market access. The partnership demonstrates how circular processing methods can add value to seafood industry side streams whilst maintaining sustainability credentials. “At Royal Greenland, we work every day to use our resources responsibly. Therefore, we are also proud to enter into a collaboration that clearly demonstrates that good taste solutions and circular thinking can easily go hand in hand,” said Kristian Ottesen, Director at Royal Greenland.
Product specifications
Based on prototype development, the companies expect to launch a prawn product featuring distinct umami and roasted crustacean notes without yeast extracts, additives, or artificial flavourings. The ingredient will offer culinary versatility across soups, sauces, condiments, snacks and ready-meals, with shelf stability of up to two years.
“Circularity only succeeds when it creates real value,” said Emil Munck de Voss, CEO and Co-founder of REDUCED. “In this partnership, we are proving that by applying our fermentation platform we can not only address side stream utilisation but also deliver a product that chefs and manufacturers genuinely want to use because of its outstanding taste.”
Market context
The global prawn market reached US$56.33 billion in 2022, with projected compound annual growth of 5.4% through 2030. Marine flavour enhancers derived from crustacean shells represent approxi-mately 6% of the global flavour enhancer market, growing at 6.3% annually.
Fish soups and sauces account for around 75% of the marine extracts and powders market. Consumer demand for clean-label seafood products continues to increase, particularly in Europe, with “no additives/preservatives” claims appearing on 15% of new product launches.
Lorenzo Tirelli, R&D Manager at REDUCED, noted: “This is not just about one prawn ingredient. It is proof that side streams can power the next generation of flavour.”
For more information, visit: www.reducedfoods.com
