Application of emerging technologies to obtain valuable lipids from food by products

Fish is regarded as a healthy animal-derived food owing to its remarkable content in macro and micronutrients, which results in a large consumption by humans. Consequently, fishery-related industries generate huge amounts of byproducts that are frequently used to manufacture low-value products or are even discarded. Nevertheless, these marine derivatives present interesting high-value functional features that can be exploited, due to their importance, in the food or nutraceutical industries. In order to obtain these compounds of interest, such as bioactive lipids, it is important to select suitable extraction methods. It is of current concern the use of alternative green cutting edge technologies such as ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) or supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), which possess some advantages over conventional extractions methods, improving the quality of the extracts and reducing the loss of functional properties of the bioactive compounds obtained. The potential use, and advantages and drawbacks of UAE, MAE, and SFE for the obtainment of lipids from fish derivatives were pinpointed and discussed, in addition to the beneficial effect to the bioactive lipids in human health.