Assessing the effectiveness of blue whiting protein on satiety and its use as a functional ingredient within the diet

Abstract

The field of functional foods and nutraceuticals is of growing interest in today’s modern consumer market. With the incidence of dietary-related diseases expanding, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, alongside an increasingly health-conscious global population, helps ensure that personalised nutrition is coming to the forefront of health promotion and disease prevention. Previous studies have shown that dietary protein and protein hydrolysates may hold a key to improving metabolic control. Blue whiting is an unwanted, but nonetheless abundant fish bycatch, with a low market retail value. Here we investigated if blue whiting protein hydrolysates (BWPH’s) could provide a sustainable functional food ingredient with therapeutic potential for type 2 diabetes and obesity. The blue whiting was processed and soluble protein hydrolysates isolated. A literature review was conducted on the use of fish protein hydrolysates in human trials, with positive outcomes in diabetes and obesity variables being identified in the treatment groups. This included but was not limited to body composition and metabolic biomarkers/parameters. Following this, both consumer testing and laboratory investigations were employed to determine the suitability of BWPH’s as an acceptable candidate functional food ingredient. A consumer survey was performed to gather consumer opinions on the NI’s population response to fish-based functional food products and to gain an insight into participant health and snacking behaviours. A variety of experiments were also performed in vitro and in vivo to identify the potential antidiabetic effects of BWPH's such as insulin secretion in cultured pancreatic beta-cells and satiety as assessed through feeding studies in mice. It was found that the NI population are agreeable to the idea of fish-based functional foods, but further work is required to assess the consumer sensory aspect of any new product development. BWPH's may possess satiating effects but further mechanistic studies are required to firmly establish this potential.

Date of Award	Oct 2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Lynsey Elizabeth Hollywood (Supervisor), Finbarr O'Harte (Supervisor) & Amy Burns (Supervisor)