Unalaska, AK – While pollock is common at sushi joints and grocery stores, it might also be making its way into hospitals in the form of gelatins. A team of scientists is trying to find a way to convert the fish byproduct into a gelatin that could be used to dress wounds or even help repair damaged organs.

For years, the United States Department of Agriculture has worked with the University of Alaska Fairbanks to maximize the value of pollock, says Peter Bechtel, a food technologist at the Subarctic Agricultural Research Unit in Kodiak.

"You have all this fish that is harvested. We certainly take the filets, the surimi out of it. We certainly take the roe out," says Bechtel. "But then what do you what the rest of it?"

The USDA team has a few ideas. In addition to turnings pollock byproduct into things like fish oil, it might also be possible to combine the gelatin from pollock skin with fermented corn sugar containing polylactic acid to create nanofibers. These nanofibers have a similar structure to human skin and could potentially have biomedical uses, says lead researcher Bor-Sen Chiou.

"Let's say you have a faulty liver or some other type of organ. So, you can implant specific organ cells onto the nanofibers, and they regenerate - they basically grow a new organs," says Chiou. "That's the hope."

The gelatin could also be combined with antimicrobials like tetracycline to be used in wound dressings.

While many biomedical studies currently rely on cow and pig gelatin, fish gelatin could be used more frequently in the future.

"There's been a recent study that shows that cells actually grow better on fish gelatin compared to mammalian gelatin," says Chiou.

Chiou also adds that some people might prefer fish gelatin to mammalian gelatin because of religious restrictions and health concerns.

Currently, pollock skin is most often ground up into fish meal or discarded as waste.