Portuguese startup AgroGrINTech is turning pineapple by-products into ingredients for aquaculture feed at a pilot unit in Maia. Developed under the Pep4Fish project, the process extracts bromelain, an enzyme found mainly in pineapple peel and core, for use in producing protein hydrolysates for farmed fish.
The unit has a stated annual capacity of around 200kg of bromelain, using approximately 120 tonnes of pineapple by-products. According to the company, production capacity has quadrupled against the 50kg forecast for 2025, while the process also produces pineapple flour, allowing further use of the raw material.
Pep4Fish is developing these ingredients for European seabass and gilthead seabream feed, with the aim of improving digestibility and fish health. These benefits depend on the formulation and application of the feed.
The project is expected to secure around €1.2 million in funding by the end of 2026, combining private investment with support from Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). The extraction process builds on research by the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry at the Portuguese Catholic University, licensed exclusively to AgroGrINTech in 2025.
Led by the ETSA Group, Pep4Fish brings together nine business and research partners under the Blue Bioeconomy Pact, an innovation initiative funded through the PRR. AgroGrINTech plans to consolidate sales, secure its first supply contracts in 2027 and raise investment to support commercialisation and international expansion.
