Digestive proteinases from the marine fish processing wastes of the South-West Atlantic Ocean: Their partial characterization and comparison.

Fish processing generates plenty of waste that is directly discarded in open-air dumps and water sources, or treated in the same way as urban solid waste, causing serious pollution problems. The waste represents a significant source of high-value bioproducts with potential applications in different industrial processes such as the production of feed, fertilizers, biodiesel and biogas, detergent additives and cosmetics. The objective of this study was to characterize and compare specific activities under different pH values and temperature conditions of acid and alkaline proteinases and viscera yield from the following fish species: Argentine hake Merluccius hubbsi, Brazilian flathead Percophis brasiliensis, Brazilian codling Urophycis brasiliensis and Stripped weakfish Cynoscion guatucupa.