Researchers want to grind up jellyfish to produce an extract that can be used in farming and pharmaceuticals, reducing their numbers from the sea.

By using a technique normally used on discarded fish remains – such as the head and tail – researchers may be able to extract protein from the residue of these scrambled invertebrates.

This extract can have a myriad of purposes; from pig feed for animal husbandry to additives and cures for inflammation, researchers said.

“The achievement here is that you are starting with something with a massive volume - such as jellyfish - and condensing it down into a small extract rich in protein and collagen,” marine biologist Alan Deidun said at a demonstration on Thursday.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and contributes to healthy joints.

The combined project, between Italy and Malta, utilises a mobile lab called the Fish Residue Automated Processing (FRAP) Unit which normally travels around Italy but is currently in Malta.

In the FRAP, jellyfish go from being one whole goopy jelly into a soup of many, their juice extracted to be stored and dried later.

The portable FRAP lab that can travel from one country to another.

Jokingly, Deidun called the extract a “protein shake”, as the liquid is concentrated with proteins even though it is not in a state to be consumed.

After a jellyfish is caught, the first step is to grind and blend it, turning it into a lumpy liquid.

Then, acid is added to the mix before it is funnelled into a large, smell-proof container to be stored before it is either sold for animal feed or dried and used for research or pharmaceuticals. 

“As you can see, the process is not toxic,” Deidun said while one jellyfish was put through a blender behind him.

Green extraction methods are important for the project, he continued, because the extract will eventually need to be disposed of. For example, the acid used during the process is citric acid, a natural acid which can be bought from pharmacies or supermarkets.

Each jellyfish weighs over one kilogram, Deidun said, so the amount of extract that can be harvested from the sea jellies can build up quite quickly.

He was speaking in front of a bucket containing the liquid remains of four jellyfish, giving off a pungent fishy smell.

“This is the first step,” Deidun said. It is the first time Malta is seeing jellyfish as a resource.

The beauty of FRAP is that it can travel wherever it is needed, Deidun explained.

Since the lab is portable, and primarily used for discarded fish remains, it can go from fish farm to fish farm, country to country. This way, the lab can maximise the amount of waste that becomes the extract, ensuring the smallest amount of waste possible.

As an aside, Deidun pointed to another bucket within the lab, this time filled with murky liquid.

This is the mucus jellyfish use to keep themselves hydrated when they are out of the water, Deidun explained, adding that it had practical properties when it came to water filtration.

On the left, a bucket filled with jellyfish and extract (centre), while the right bucket contains mucus from the jellyfish.

When the mucus is added to water, tests have shown that it can collect microplastics without disrupting the rest of the water, he said.

Although this is another benefit of using jellyfish for protein, getting the rich molecules out of the mucus is not cost-effective, so steps need to be taken to make the process cheaper before it can become mainstream, he said.

The project, Bythos Extended, was co-funded by the European Union and was handled by the University of Malta in partnership with the University of Palermo.