Fish Waste to Food: CIFT's Chitopro Goes Commercial

The shells and scales that India’s seafood factories throw away every day are about to become food. The ICAR–Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Kochi, has signed a technology-transfer agreement with Parayil Biofarm Pvt. Ltd., Ernakulam, to commercialise Chitopro — a technology that turns chitin derivatives recovered from shrimp shell waste and collagen derived from fish scale waste into chitosan-enriched edible products. The agreement was exchanged on 2 November 2026.

This is not a laboratory curiosity. It is the latest in a run of waste-to-wealth deals from India’s only fisheries technology institute, and it lands at a moment when the country’s seafood processing industry is producing waste on an industrial scale. In FY 2025–26, India exported 19,72,018 metric tonnes of seafood worth Rs 73,890.46 crore (US$ 8.46 billion). Every tonne of that processed seafood leaves behind shells, heads, scales and trimmings — and until recently, most of it was a disposal problem. Chitopro is CIFT’s answer to one slice of that problem: the shells and the scales.

The deal at a glance

Institute	ICAR–Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Kochi, Kerala — in service since 1957 under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Company	Parayil Biofarm Pvt. Ltd., Ernakulam, Kerala — an agricultural enterprise engaged in animal husbandry, commercial fodder cultivation and plant nursery operations
Agreement	Technology transfer for the commercialisation of Chitopro; agreement exchanged on 2 November 2026
Technology	Chitopro — uses chitin derivatives recovered from shrimp shell waste and collagen derived from fish scale waste
End products	Chitosan-enriched edible products (the technology support focuses on developing these)
CIFT scientific team	Dr Elavarasan K., Dr Renuka V. and Dr Jeyakumari A., Senior Scientists, Fish Processing Division
Key people	Dr George Ninan, Director, ICAR-CIFT; Mr Hari Gopinadh, Managing Director, Parayil Biofarm; Dr C. O. Mohan, Principal Scientist and Officer-in-Charge, Institute Technology Management Unit
Relationship	Parayil Biofarm’s association with ICAR-CIFT dates back to August 2023

What exactly is Chitopro?

Chitopro starts with two waste streams that seafood processors generate in bulk. The first is shrimp shell waste, the raw material for chitin — a natural biopolymer found in the shells of shrimp, crabs and other crustaceans — and its derivative chitosan. The second is fish scale waste, the raw material for collagen, the structural protein that gives scales their strength. CIFT’s technology recovers chitin derivatives from the shells and collagen from the scales, and the technology support extended to Parayil Biofarm focuses on developing chitosan-enriched edible products from them.

Chitosan is one of the most versatile materials in the marine biopolymer family. In its various forms it is used in food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and packaging applications, and it is valued precisely because it comes from a renewable, biodegradable source. Collagen, likewise, is a sought-after ingredient in food and health products. The point of Chitopro is not to invent a new molecule — it is to take two waste streams that processors currently pay to dispose of and convert them, through CIFT’s process, into ingredients with a market.

That framing matters. This agreement is a technology transfer, not a product launch. The announcement discloses no commercial launch date for any Chitopro product, no retail prices and no financial terms for the agreement, so this post claims none of those. What has happened is that a company now holds the technology and the technical backing to build products with it. Readers should treat it as the start of commercialisation, not as a product already on shop shelves.

Why shrimp shells are worth so much more than we thought

To understand why CIFT keeps returning to shrimp shell waste, look at the numbers from its own shrimp shell biorefinery work. Conventionally, only chitin is extracted from shell waste — about 30 kg of chitin from one tonne of shrimp waste. CIFT’s enzyme-based biorefinery technology, developed after an entrepreneur approached the institute seeking a solution, extracts 72% value products from the total waste, with the protein extract three-fold higher and 80% of proteins recovered from the dry waste, according to lead scientist Elavarasan K. That technology has already been transferred to industry: Longshore Technologies Pvt. Ltd. processes two tonnes of shrimp waste a day with it, and CIFT signed a separate consultancy agreement with Tangerine Biosciences, New Delhi, on 7 August 2026 for the same shrimp shell biorefinery technology.

The waste is not small. Shrimp is India’s biggest seafood export earner, and every processing line that peels shrimp produces shells and heads as a by-product. For decades the standard story was that this waste was a cost — something to haul away. The biorefinery work, and now Chitopro, flips that story: the same tonne of waste that once yielded 30 kg of chitin can now yield proteins, chitin, chitosan and minerals. Chitopro adds the second waste stream — fish scales, and the collagen in them — to the same logic.

Who is Parayil Biofarm?

Parayil Biofarm is not a seafood company. It is an agricultural enterprise from Ernakulam engaged in animal husbandry, commercial fodder cultivation and plant nursery operations, and it is also exploring the development of plant protein ingredients and meat analogue products. That background is actually the point: the company’s interest is in food ingredients, and Chitopro gives it a marine-sourced ingredient platform to work with.

The relationship is not new. Parayil Biofarm’s association with ICAR-CIFT dates back to August 2023, so this agreement is the formalisation of a collaboration that has been running for more than three years, not a first meeting. The agreement was exchanged in the presence of CIFT Director Dr George Ninan, Parayil Biofarm Managing Director Hari Gopinadh, and the institute’s technology management team.

CIFT’s waste-to-wealth run: Chitopro is not a one-off

Chitopro is the fourth waste-valorisation deal CIFT has closed in the space of five months, and the pattern is worth spelling out because it shows where the institute’s Fish Processing Division is heading.

4 June 2026	MoA with Saint Marines LLP, Aluva, Kerala, for umami peptides and bio-calcium from shrimp shell waste — the peptides as naturally derived flavour-enhancing ingredients, the bio-calcium for food and allied sectors. The company is incubated at CIFT’s Agribusiness Incubation (ABI) Centre for one year.
7 August 2026	Consultancy agreement with Tangerine Biosciences, New Delhi, for the transfer of CIFT’s shrimp shell biorefinery technology — the enzyme-based process that extracts proteins, chitin, chitosan and minerals from processing waste.
25 May 2026	Patent granted for an antioxidative biocomposite film made from chitooligosaccharide, chitosan and gelatin — chitosan from shrimp shell waste, gelatin from fish skin — for biodegradable, eco-friendly food packaging. The application was filed in 2022.
6 November 2026	Technology-transfer agreement with Marble Valley Foods and Beverages Pvt. Ltd., Tamil Nadu, for frozen ready-to-eat fish curries, dried and salt-cured fish products, and ready-to-eat shrimp chutney powder.
2 November 2026	Technology-transfer agreement with Parayil Biofarm Pvt. Ltd., Ernakulam, for Chitopro — chitosan-enriched edible products from shrimp shell waste and fish scale waste.

The thread running through all five is the same: seafood processing waste is being treated as a feedstock, not a disposal cost. Shells give chitin, chitosan, proteins, minerals, umami peptides and bio-calcium. Scales give collagen. Skins give gelatin. The institute’s Zonal Technology Management–Agribusiness Incubation (ZTM-ABI) Centre is the vehicle that carries these technologies from the lab to companies, and its Officer-in-Charge, Dr C. O. Mohan, was part of the Chitopro exchange.

What this means for fishers, processors and entrepreneurs

For seafood processors: every deal like this raises the value of the waste stream leaving your plant. Shells and scales that were once a cost line can become a saleable input for ingredient makers. If you process shrimp or fish in Kerala or elsewhere, the practical question is who buys your shell and scale waste today, and at what price — that market gets better every time a company like Parayil Biofarm starts buying.

For entrepreneurs and start-ups: CIFT’s technologies are available for transfer through its ZTM-ABI Centre, and the Chitopro deal shows the institute is willing to work with companies outside the seafood sector — Parayil Biofarm is an agriculture company. If you work in food ingredients, nutraceuticals or functional foods, the institute’s published list of technologies, and its CIFTFISHPRO mobile app, are the starting points. The contact point for technology transfer is Dr C. O. Mohan, Principal Investigator, ZTM-ABI Centre and Officer-in-Charge, Institute Technology Management Unit, ICAR-CIFT, Kochi — phone +91-484-2412366 / 2412414, email ciftitmu@gmail.com. Check the official website cift.res.in for the current application form before applying.

For fishers: the benefit is indirect but real. A processing industry that earns more from every tonne of fish it handles is an industry that can pay better for raw material and survive price shocks. Waste valorisation does not put money directly into a fisher’s pocket, but it strengthens the value chain the fisher sells into — and it does so without taking a single extra fish out of the sea.

For the environment: shrimp shells and fish scales dumped in landfill or waterways are a pollution load. Converting them into food ingredients is a textbook circular-economy move: the waste of one process becomes the raw material of another. CIFT’s own framing of its biorefinery work makes the same point — the technology reduces the environmental impact of processing waste while producing value-added products.

Three honest limits to keep in mind

1. No product is on sale yet. The announcement says nothing about when Parayil Biofarm’s first chitosan-enriched product will reach the market, what it will be called, or what it will cost. Do not expect to buy a Chitopro product this month.

2. No financial terms are published. Technology-transfer agreements sometimes include a licence fee, a royalty, or both. CIFT’s announcement does not disclose any of that, so this post does not speculate on the deal’s value.

3. Chitosan is an ingredient, not a medicine. Chitosan-enriched foods are food products. Any health claim attached to a future product would need its own regulatory backing, and none is made in this announcement. Judge future products on their labels and approvals, not on the excitement of the technology.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chitopro?
A technology developed by ICAR-CIFT that uses chitin derivatives recovered from shrimp shell waste and collagen derived from fish scale waste. The technology support to Parayil Biofarm focuses on developing chitosan-enriched edible products.

Who signed the Chitopro agreement, and when?
ICAR-CIFT, Kochi, and Parayil Biofarm Pvt. Ltd., Ernakulam. The agreement was exchanged on 2 November 2026.

What is chitosan?
Chitosan is a biopolymer derived from chitin, which is found in the shells of shrimp, crabs and other crustaceans. It is used in food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and packaging applications.

Can I buy a Chitopro product now?
No. This is a technology-transfer agreement, not a product launch. No launch date, product name or price has been announced.

How can an entrepreneur take a CIFT technology?
Through the institute’s Zonal Technology Management–Agribusiness Incubation (ZTM-ABI) Centre. Contact Dr C. O. Mohan at cift.res.in or ciftitmu@gmail.com, and check cift.res.in for the current application form.

Has CIFT transferred waste technologies before?
Yes — the shrimp shell biorefinery to Tangerine Biosciences (7 August 2026), umami peptides and bio-calcium to Saint Marines LLP (4 June 2026), and the antioxidative biocomposite film patent (granted 25 May 2026) all valorise shrimp shell or fish waste.

Official links and sources

ICAR-CIFT — ICAR-CIFT Transfers Chitopro Technology to Parayil Biofarm (official announcement: agreement exchanged 2 November 2026, technology description, scientific team)
ICAR-CIFT — Shrimp Shell Biorefinery Technology to Tangerine Biosciences (official: agreement signed 7 August 2026)
ICAR-CIFT — Innovative Shrimp Shell Valorisation Technologies (official: umami peptides and bio-calcium MoA with Saint Marines LLP, 4 June 2026)
ICSF — India: CIFT Develops Solution to Effectively Process Shrimp Waste (biorefinery figures: 30 kg chitin per tonne conventionally; 72% value products and 80% protein recovery with the enzyme-based technology)

All facts above were verified on 11 November 2026 against the official ICAR-CIFT website and the ICSF report cited above. The Chitopro agreement was exchanged on 2 November 2026. No commercial launch date, retail price or financial terms were disclosed in the announcement, and none are claimed here. Seafood export figures are for FY 2025–26 as published in our earlier fact-checked CIFT coverage. Images in this post are illustrations.

Fish Waste to Food: CIFT’s Chitopro Goes Commercial