Bluewave: Hydrolyzed fish protein set for US sports nutrition splash

As NutraIngredients-USA first reported several years ago​, advances with membrane technology allowed Bluewave to produce fish protein isolated that meets both the organoleptic and economic requirements for the broader food ingredient/ supplement marketplace.

The membrane system works by having one stream enter and three streams exit. The main stream is separated into a high fat plus protein stream, a zero fat plus protein stream, and a biogenic fraction. The fishiness is removed by the membrane, since it removes the oil and fat.

Mark Rottmann, COO for BlueWave Marine Ingredients, told us that, after several years of development, the company is now ready to offer the hydrolyzed fish protein for the sports nutrition market.

The protein offers a complete profile of the essential amino acids, he said, and the price is competitive with standard whey, with the added benefit that AminoMarine is hydrolyzed. It is at a discount compared with hydrolyzed whey, he added.

Arnold ​

California’s Genomyx​ will launch the first dietary supplement for sports nutrition containing the ingredient at the upcoming Arnold Expo in Columbus, OH​.

Armando Lopez, Genomyx’s CEO, told NutraIngredients-USA that the company is “proud to work in conjunction with Bluewave Marine Ingredients to bring their AminoMarine to the marketplace.​

“In working so closely with the developer of this hydrolyzed fish peptide product, Genomyx can claim to offer the purest and cleanest protein option available; a fat- and oil-free option also devoid of manmade antibiotics, hormones, and any genetic modification(s).”​

Strategy​

Rottmann said that the company has a two-pronged strategy for AminoMarine in the US retail market – to work with some niche players in the protein market and to go directly to the market with the Bluewave branded ingredient.

“This is a new step, as the original intention was to target larger ingredient companies, and leave the branding to those commercial houses,”​ he explained. “However the development steps with larger companies proved to be slow and the market is ready now.  ​

“Price points at the retail level will be at a slight discount to whey products as we are working to eliminate as many ‘middlemen’ as possible and allow the consumer to have ‘direct from mfg’ type pricing​.   

“We hope that retail consumers will be able to purchase 2kg size jars in April and with environmental considerations, plan to have a ‘5 kg refill program’ which will come in small plastic bags to minimize freight and plastic containers.”  ​

Facility​

The protein is produced at Bluewave’s multi-thousand ton manufacturing subsidiary Proteicos Concentrados in Lima, Peru​. Rottmann said building the large scale GMP/HAACP/Sanitary certified plant to produce the products without any existing clients was a “risk”​, but the company was confident that demand would come.

“Fish peptides have unique beneficial properties not found in other animal protein sources,” ​he said. “They are also produced from non-GMO, antibiotic-free animals that haven’t been fed hormones.  Throw on top the fact that the fish source is from sustainably fished, clean south pacific waters – from a rapid life cycle species that doesn’t have time to accumulate heavy metals, and all the rest.”​     

The company is initially targeting dietary supplements in the US. The company anticipates eventually being used in a range of foods, from pasta and breads to sauces and soups.